


A Curse to Last Forever: The Prologue

by LucieClark, MasquedAngel



Series: A Curse to Last Forever [1]
Category: Original Work, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood, Demigods, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Magic, Minor Character Death, Mystery, No Romance, Pirates, Swordfighting, Underage Drinking, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-10
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-05-01 00:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 66,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5185697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucieClark/pseuds/LucieClark, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasquedAngel/pseuds/MasquedAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The time is 1718... the reign of the nefarious pirate Blackbeard. He pillages and destroys towns wherever he goes. Now meet two victims of his carnage; Lucie and Zinaida. After they lose their homes and families, Blackbeard takes them captive to serve aboard his ship as maids. They are thrown onto a mysterious ship in his fleet named the Lupis Maris. Nothing in their lives is ever going to be the same again, especially as they start questioning everything they've ever known and who they really are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Lost Girl

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, thank you for clicking on this story! We know original character stories aren't very popular, but we hope that since we've gotten you this far, you'll like what you see!
> 
> Written primarily by LucieClark, edited and secondarily written by MasquedAngel. 
> 
> (P.S. We promise that all the canon Percy Jackson characters will eventually be introduced and play a huge part in the story!)

Screams echoed through the crowded streets. A mother hurriedly carried her infant inside her house. A husband searched desperately for his wife. A small child stood alone crying for his mother. An old man hobbled as quickly as he could to his front door. Trying to reach shelter before they came.  
Lucie saw all this as she dashed down the streets. She felt their fear and their panic but did not stop. She could not stop. Her small figure made it easy to weave through the crowds and continue down the streets. She took every shortcut she could think of.Running harder than she thought she ever could she did her best to avoid the wild men. To skirt around the blood stained streets and to avoid the horrible screams of death. She tried not to think until she reached home.  
Minutes later, she stopped at her front door only to find it wide open. Trying to swallow her fear Lucie carefully peaked inside the house. What she saw almost made her collapse with fear. Her mother stood with her back against the wall. Lucie had made it just in time to watch a pirate stab her mother in the gut. Blood stained the blue dress she wore, and Lucie had to clasp her hand around her mouth to keep from letting out a loud sob. The man pulled his sword out of her mother and the woman fell to the ground with a loud thud.  
Lucie tried to run but her legs wouldn’t move. Frozen in place, she watched the pirate turn away from her mother. He noticed her standing in the doorway and gave a crooked smile. He began to walk towards and she watched him approach. Her heart hammering in her chest. As he approached, she studied his grimy face and tattered clothing. The scent of the ocean and body odor rolled off his body in copious amounts. Lucie wanted to throw up but fear kept her in check. Finally, the pirate stood right in front of her.  
“Well, if ye ain’t jus’ a pretty little thing,” he cackled. Lucie could almost taste the rotten fish the pirate must have eaten for breakfast. “Too bad I’ll ‘ave to kill ye.”  
With a crazy grin on his face, the pirate pulled back sword. Lucie, still frozen with fear, closed her eyes. A loud clang echoed down the street and she tentatively opened an eye. A butcher’s knife had stopped the sword from hitting home. Mr. Write stepped in front of Lucie to protect her from the pirate.  
She nodded a silent thanks to the butcher and dashed inside to her mother. Blood was already pooling on the floor and the woman's breathing shallow. She pressed her hands on the wound trying to stop the bleeding. It spilled through her fingers but she didn't know what else to do.  
"Lucie." Her mother’s hand rested on her arm. "Stop, it's too late."  
"Mom, please don't go." Tears welled up in her eyes. ”I don't want to be left alone.”  
"You won't be alone," her mother smiled. "You still have Zinaida."  
"I don't want you to leave."  
Her mother gave a sad smile. "There's nothing that can be done. Now listen."  
The next sentence was whispered so quietly Lucie almost didn't catch the words. When she realized what they meant she tried to ask for an explanation but it was too late. Her mother gave one last sigh and lay limp on the floor. Her glassy eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.  
Lucie sat on the floor beside her mother. She didn't cry. Not when her father entered the house. Not when her best friend came to sit beside her. Not when they buried her mother’s body.

The morning sunlight woke Lucie from her sleep. She lay in bed for a few moments thinking back two years ago. Remembering her mother's death as if it was only yesterday. A deep wound that would never close. Tears fell down her cheeks but she quickly wiped them away. She cried now out of loneliness but she never wanted the tears to fall.  
Taking a deep breath she slid out of bed and put on her dress. She pulled her hair back into a quick braid and then made her way downstairs. Her footsteps to echoed loudly in the silent house but she knew that no noise was loud enough to wake her family.  
“Good morning,” Zinaida leaped out from behind the kitchen door. The bright smile on her friends face brightened the dull kitchen. Her long blond hair hung loosely past her shoulders. She wore a bright blue dress that matched her blue eyes. Her shoes were dirty from the walk over. The way she dressed no one would guess that she was part of the high class Lenochka family. She prefered the simple dresses of peasants to the lacy ones her mother tried to give her.  
“Good morning,” Lucie replied. “You’re here early.”  
“My parents said that you could come over today,” she spoke over her shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen. “Your family will be out on a fishing trip right?”  
“Yes,” Lucie confirmed, “they shouldn’t be back until late tonight.”  
“You should come over then.” Zinaida begged.  
“Of course I will,” Lucie smiled. “I love staying at your place.”  
“I don’t get it.” Zinaida frowned. She started pulling food out of the pantry while Lucie stoked the fire. “Why don’t you just stay with us if you like it so much?”  
She shrugged, “I don’t know.”  
Her friend sighed. “I don’t understand you. We should start cooking if we want to finish before your brothers wake.”  
The two girls then went to work preparing breakfast. They worked in silence. Each doing their part with hardly a word spoken in between. Chopping up ingredients and adding them to a pot already sitting over the fire. When the food was nearly done, Lucie began to prepare the tea while Zinaida set the table.  
Lucie had just started to dish up the food onto everyone’s plates when her father, followed by her brothers,made their way to the kitchen table. Her oldest two brothers had already moved out and started families of their own. The remaining four were either not of age or too reluctant to leave.  
Robert, the oldest still living in the house. Wasted no time in sitting down to his breakfast. The others followed more slowly but still chatted excitedly amongst each other. They all took more after their father than their mother. They had the light brown hair, dark eyes and pale skin. As if even their appearance rejected the fact that their mother ever existed.  
Not a single one of her brothers took notice of Lucie or Zinaida as they walked in. Their eyes passed over the two girls as if they were just another object in the small house. Only her father scowled at them but then he continued to pretend they didn’t exist.  
The youngest, Josias, was last to reach the table. He didn’t seemed to care as much to rush through meals as his older brothers. Peter, the second youngest, and Henry, the next one, nearly knocked over their chairs over in attempt to be the second one at the table. Peter won by a hair but the older boy tried to argue his way into the second place spot. Meanwhile, Robert attempted to steal a bite of food but their father caught him with a glare. He sat down at the table. His overbearing presence silencing everyone. Everyone’s heads bent in prayer while Lucie and Zinaida ducked back into the kitchen to eat their own breakfast.  
“The way some of your brothers act,” Zinaida whispered. “It’s hard to believe they are all older than you.”  
Lucie snorted, “At least James and Roger are no longer here.” She rolled her eyes, “Roger and Robert use to argue about everything.”  
“I guess that’s what you get with twins.” Her friend muttered. “I don’t know if Sergei and Kirill ever got along. They always seem to have opposite opinions about everything.” They giggled silently but then continued silently with their own meals.  
Twenty minutes later and Lucie’s family was already done eating. After another ten minutes they were leaving the house without a single word to the girls. When the door finally shut, they could not help but let out a sigh of relief.  
“Time to clean,” Lucie turned back into the kitchen. “Let’s hurry up so we can get out of here.”  
They spent the morning washing dishes, clearing the table and sweeping the floors. Together they took the laundry washed it and hung it to dry. They made the beds and made sure everything was in order before leaving the house.

"So nice to finally breath ," Lucie smiled as she breathed in the warm summer air.  
"It's been such a nice summer," Zinaida commented. "I don't know how people could stay inside on days like this."  
"Which- " Lucie began but stopped as she tripped over a loose flagstone. She quickly regained her balance and glanced around shyly to see if anyone was watching.  
"You're such a clutz sometimes," her friend giggled.  
Lucie pouted, “At least I’m not as bad as Denis. Isn’t he the one who is always tripping on the stairs?”  
“True. I’m not sure if there is anything he has not tripped over… And he’s always spilling things. You have no idea how many rugs my parents have had to replace because of him! Anyway, what were you going to say?”  
Lucie stopped for a moment. “Ummmm….”  
“You forgot.”  
“No I had it.” She stood there trying to remember. “Oh yeah. I was going to ask which path you wanted to take to your place.”  
“We’re going by the port today.” Zinaida responded as they continued walking.  
“Isn’t that a little out of our way?” She sighed. Realizing where this conversation was headed.  
“I heard rumors that pirates were coming and I wanted to go see if we could spot their ship.”  
Lucie opened her mouth to speak but was distracted by a young boy that had darted out into the middle of the road. His mother, who not far behind, quickly scooped him up and carry him back to the front entrance of her house. Her husband stood on the porch watching them.  
"It's James!" Zinaida exclaimed. "I didn't know your brother lived here."  
"I had no idea either," Lucie shook her head. She purposefully crossed the street to avoid any contact with her sibling. "I've never visited his house even though he has come over plenty of times."  
"His little boy is cute."  
"He's a brat. Just as bad as his father."  
"At least you don't have to worry about taking care of him anymore."  
Lucie smiled, "I'm glad that I don't have to worry about him or Roger. If only Robert could stop being a jerk and marry someone so he will move out."  
Zinaid laughed, "But that would be too easy. Just wait, someday you will have the opportunity to leave that house as well."  
"If only that was today," she sighed.  
They arrived at the port and Lucie could not help but be calmed by the sea. She stared at the point right where the sky met with the ocean and wondered what it was like to be beyond that. A part of her longed to be on the sea. Past the horizon where she could no longer see any land. Only the deep ocean surrounding her for miles and the nice blue sky stretching far above.  
“Do you see any pirate ships?” Zinaida asked jerking Lucie out of her daydream.  
“I wasn’t looking,” Lucie replied. “I don’t even want to look for pirates. Last time was bad enough. Who knows what they will do next?”  
“They can’t be all bad. I think people just misunderstand them.”  
She snorted but didn’t try to argue. Her friend was a little too stubborn and they had already fought over this point many times. Sometimes it was better to just leave things alone.  
After a while, Zinaida gave up on her search and led the way back to her house. By the time they arrived it was already noon and both girl’s were ready for lunch. One of the maids led them into the dining room where Zinaida’s family was already waiting for them.  
Lucie could not count how many times she had been inside her friends house but every time she felt shrunken by the grandeur of the place. Everything from the white curtains to the carved railings. From the maids waiting on her to the joyful laughter that always echoed in the dining room. This was a whole other world to her. One that almost shouldn’t exist.  
“You girl’s sure took your time to get here,” Vladimir, Zinaida’s father, smiled at them as soon as they entered the room. The man stood from his seat and squished both girls in a strong hug. Yet another part of this house Lucie struggled to get use to. “I was about to send Sergei to go find you two.”  
“We were in no hurry.” Zinaida reasoned. She took her seat at the table and Lucie followed her lead. “It’s a nice day so we wanted to take our time.”  
As soon as everyone one was seated, food was laid on the table and the whole family began to eat. Light chatter spread all over the table as the family laughed and joked with each other.  
Zinaida began the meal by teasing her younger brother, Denis. Telling him that she saw pirates at port. While her brother tried to glean information from her she stayed quiet or would purposely turn to talk to Lucie about completely unrelated topics.  
Kirill and Sergei, per usual, sat as far away from each other as they could. Sergei talked Victor about imports and exports of different products. Geniveve, Zinaida's mother, was trying to convince Kirill to find a woman and get married. A topic which he continually tried to avoid but his mother continued to bring it up.  
Home. If Lucie could describe this place in one word it would be home. Yet not exactly. No matter how much she loved this place she could not stay. No matter how much she hated the other place she never ran away. Drifting from place to place, she felt like a ship with no real destination, with no wind to guide her.


	2. Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two!

Lucie didn't leave Zinaida's house until late. It was dark by then and Victor would not let the girls leave until Sergei, reluctantly, agreed to escort them back.

"Come back soon," Genevieve happily waved goodbye.

“Don’t be a stranger,” Victor encouraged. “We always enjoy having you over.”

“I’ll be back,” Lucie promised. “Bye.”

Sergei held the door open for the two girls as they waved a last farewell and then he followed them out. The summer night air was warm and Lucie enjoyed walking late at night. Clouds covered the moon but Sergei held up a lantern so they could still see where they were walking. Few people were still outside at this late hour which made the night feel peaceful.

“Hey, Sergei,” Zinaida called out. She sped up to keep pace with her brother. "Do you think pirates will come again?"

Her brother gave a half-hearted shrug, probably hoping she would leave him alone. Naturally, it didn't work. Instead, the blond girl began to ramble her theories about pirates. Most of it Lucie barely listened too. Of course she had heard it all before so she barely bothered to pay attention to.

She walked behind the siblings lost in her own thoughts. As always she wondered what was across the sea. What was beyond the horizon. What kind of people were there? What kind of creatures would she find? More than anything, Lucie hated how boring and predictable her life was. She didn’t like staying in one city. She wanted to move beyond doing simple chores and travel beyond the limits of the world. She wanted to move around and never stay in one place too long. Lucie wandered in a half dream state, imagining herself in another life, until Zinaida gave an audible gasp.

"Fire!" She yelled pointing back the direction they had come from. Sure enough, a dark plume of smoke rose to the sky. Zinaida dashed off down the street before anyone could stop her. The girl had run towards the fire and both Lucie and Sergei followed. Lucie was slower than the other two and soon lost sight of both of them. When she reached the fire she finally stopped to asses the situation.

Silence no longer reigned over the city as panicked citizens fled from the fire. Its roar could be heard over the screams of people as they ran. She had been running against the flow of traffic and at this point found it difficult to keep moving forward. Not just because of the crowd but because the fire was now right in front of her. Its heat unbearable.

Many homes were already on fire. She could feel the heat stinging her face and hands and her eyes water from the smoke. It was quickly burning up the city, intent on leaving nothing behind.

With nothing she could do about the fire Lucie turned to run but bumped into her eldest brother, James ,carrying what looked like driftwood from the beach. Her brother didn’t seem to notice her as he dashed over to the fire and began hitting it with the wood. Despite how wet it must have been the wood quickly caught fire and his clothes followed along. Her brother didn’t seem to notice and he just continued attacking the fire. Sighing in exasperation Lucie picked up a nearby water bucket and pulled her brother out of the fire before dumping it on top of him.

"What are you trying to do?" she shouted at her idiot brother.

"I was trying to put the fires out." James replied almost innocently. If a twenty-two year old could look innocent.

"With that piece of wood?" Lucie pointed to the charred weapon. How did this the idiot who found a wife? she wondered.

“Yep," James smiled. "It’s the answer to everything.”

"You really are an idiot," Lucie wanted to take the driftwood and smack her brother with it but it would probably just scramble his brains even more. “Shouldn’t you be looking for your wife and kid?”

“Right…” her brother looked like the idea just occurred to him. Lucie was seriously tempted to hit him with the driftwood. Before she could move someone had got to him first. She noticed her brother was no longer focused on her. His glassy eyes stared blankly at the ground and his face went slack. The tip of a sword was sticking out of his chest. It glowed orange in the light of the approaching fire but that did nothing to hide the blood that stained it. The driftwood hit the street with a dull thud but Lucie barely heard it as she registered who was standing behind him.

James slid off the man's sword and collapsed onto the cobblestones but she was not paying attention to him. Instead her mind was back to two years ago. She knew that this was the same type of man as back then. His rotten teeth, tattered clothes and overall grimy appearance. A pirate, not the same man but the same breed.

She didn’t scream. The smoke made it impossible but even if she wanted to she couldn’t. Instead she willed her legs to move. Turning almost too quickly, she ran away. Picking streets at random she ran. The pirate tried to keep up with her but by this time people running everywhere in every direction. Trying to avoid the pirates as well as the fire. It took no time for Lucie to lose her pursuer but as soon as he was gone another popped up. They were everywhere. Pirates were running and killing any citizen in reach. The world had gone to hell.

Bodies littered the ground. If the fire didn't kill you than a pirate would. Lucie did everything to survive. Her skirt had burned in many places, now only half its original length. She didn't feel the fire as it licked her skin. Nor did she feel the cuts from the swords she dodged.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lucie finally broke free from the town. Her run slowed to a walk and then she finally stopped. The forest loomed in front of her but she did not hesitate to hide among the trees. The fire had not reached this far. She was safe for a while.

She limped deeper into the forest until she found a nice spot beneath the trees to rest. The roar of the fire could still be heard from where she lay but she was too exhausted to worry about it. Instead she collapsed on the ground and passed out from exhaustion.

When she woke the next morning, Lucie could no longer hear the fire. Her body groaned in protest as she slowly stood up. Her muscles were sore and her burns stung. She assessed the damage to her body. Her burns hurt but there was nothing she could do at the moment. Her cuts had stopped bleeding but that did not keep them from stinging. Ash and dirt covered her body. Her dress was half her original length and holes peppered it from where it stay flames had burned through the cloth. Her sleeves were still mostly intact but the ends were still shredded.

Through the trees she could see smoke still rising in the sky. She wandered towards it and stopped where the trees opened up to the town. Most of the buildings had been burned away but a few charcoaled remains still stood. Bodies were scattered among the ruins. Most were so burnt it was hard to tell if they were once living people.

Lucie realized how easily one of those bodies could be Zinaida but she would never know for sure. Not with the blond hair turned to ash. Her skin burnt and bones crumbling. She could search for days but never be able to tell if her friend had lived or died. She fell to her knees in despair. If Zinaida died then where would she be? How could she live if her friend was dead?

She stared blankly at at the bodies in front of her. A child lay just in front of her. The body was damaged by fire but she could tell by its size that it must have been young. Slowly she touched its head but could not feel any life beneath the ash. Was this what Zinaida looked like? Another nameless body barely visible beneath every other?

The sun was rising but its warmth did not reach her. She cursed it for shining such a bright light on such a cruel scene. She hated it for forgetting that everyone she cared about was lying lifeless, forgotten among the ruins of the town. There would be no one to mourn them. No one to remember them.

"There's still someone alive o'er there!" pirates pushed their way through the forest towards her.

The rest of the world faded away in an instant. The dead forgotten as she once again concentrated on her own survival. Lucie leaped out of the forest and ran into town. She ran down an empty alleyway and tried her best to use the twist and turns of the town to lose the pirates behind her. They were much faster than she was so no matter how many turns she tried to take they always caught up. The fire had left no places to hide so she had to keep running. With no direction in mind she chose her path with barely any consideration for where she was going. Many times she thought she lost the pirates only to find they were not far behind. Lucie could just barely stay ahead of her pursuers but she was slowly becoming exhausted.

One of the alleys opened up to where the port use to be but even most of this had been burned. Lucie stopped running and tried to asses the situation. The pirates were still chasing her and the were rapidly closing in. After hesitating for a moment longer, she ran forward attempting to find cover under what was left of the dock but was not fast enough.

"Found you!" one pirate yelled. "Come here and maybe we won’t kill you."

Lucie stopped running but she did not make any attempt to approach the pirates. She had nearly reached the water by then but did not have time to change tactics. Trapped by the sea. She turned around to watch as the pirates approach. As they fanned out and edged slowly forward she backed up at about the same pace insistent on keeping the distance between them.

Soon she found herself stepping into the sea. The cold water splashes against her boots and then it began to soak her dress. She chose to ignore the cold water as she backed up farther and farther trying to find an escape route where there was none. When she was waist deep in the water she finally stopped moving, unwilling to back up any farther.

The pirates grew tired of this game and seeing her trapped they all decided to charge in on her. She closed her eyes and waited for the piercing point of the sword to end her life but it never came. As if responding to her fear, the sea swelled around her. She opened her eyes and watched a huge wave rise and wash the pirates ashore.

For the first few seconds, most of them just lay on the beach stunned but a few stood up and began eyeing the water warily. All the pirates were soaked through and the soot and blood had been washed off of them.

Lucie didn’t stay long to figure out why the wave didn’t sweep her away as well. Instead she did her best to move quickly through the water and hide beneath the docks. None of the pirates were paying any more attention to her so they didn’t notice their prey slip away. Beneath the dock was not the best of hiding places but at the moment she needed a place to stall and figure out how to escape without the pirates noticing.

“Stop right there,” she flinched as she felt the cold blade of a sword pressed to her neck. Just her luck, as soon as she hid herself another pirate had to appear. “If you don’t want to die than you better not move.”

The man had approached from behind so she had no idea where he came from. She could not see his face but she felt his breath on her ear.

“If you try anything funny I will kill you,” he threatened a second time before taking his sword away from her neck.

He grabbed her arm and marched her out from under the dock to where the rest of his gang stood on the beach. They had recovered from the shock and were waiting for the two to approach.

“We are not killing this girl,” her captor announced to the others. Lucie assumed he was the captain by his commanding tone of voice. “Especially since you all had a hard time catching this one.”

The other pirates looked shamed by their captains but didn’t say a word. After a few minutes of silence the captain dragged Lucie along with him and he led his group of pirates back through the town. She again noted all the bodies that lay scattered along the streets and tried hard not to look to closely at them. A part of her wanted to keep looking but she didn’t know if she could bear anymore heartache.

More pirates joined their group as they wound their way through the maze of streets. All of of them eyed Lucie curiously and some a little hungrily. She felt small among all the men as they began to surround her. If it wasn’t the captain who was leading her then she probably would have been dead by them. No one dared to approach her under his watch.

It was not long before they left the city behind and entered the forest. The sun continued its climb in the sky. The heat dried out her dress and it no longer clung to her legs. All the ash and dirt had been cleaned off and even though she thought she had seen some this morning there were no burns or scratches on her skin.

The sun had reached its peak by the time they exited the forest again. She had been on her feet for most of the morning and Lucie could not remember the last time she had felt so tired Her stomach grumbled and she also realized that she had not eaten anything since dinner at Zinaida's house the night before.

Now that they had arrived at another part of the beach the captain finally let go of her arm. She barely noticed though because she was too busy taking everything in. There was not just one pirate ship there like she had originally thought there would be. There must have been at least seven. All with full crews of drunken pirates. Enough to destroy a whole town in one night.

"Keep moving," one of the pirates behind her shoved Lucie forward to follow the captain down the beach. Most of their group had dispersed among the other pirates but a few stayed with them.

The captain stopped in front of a pirate who was guarding another prisoner. With one glance at the bright blond hair she recognized her best friend, Zinaida.  Lucie didn't know if she should feel relieved or not that her friend had survived the fire. Her best friend’s eyes lit up for a moment when she saw Lucie but it disappeared too quickly beneath the girls exhaustion. Just like Lucie's most of the skirt of her dress had been burned away. Her arms and legs had scratches and burns but it they didn’t seem to hurt her at the moment.

"Blackbeard," the pirate addressed the captain who she had been following. Lucie's eyes widened as she recognized the name. As one of the more infamous pirates his name tended to get around. He was known, like most pirates, for pillaging seaside towns but she never heard about him slaughtering everyone in one anyone place.

"I've brought you another prisoner, Warden," Blackbeard shoved Lucie toward him. "Take both of them back to your ship. I will be there to talk with them later."

"Yes, sir," the pirate responded. “I will have them waiting in my cabin for you.”

Blackbeard walked away and began talking to another one of his pirates. Meanwhile the pirate he called Warden began to herd Lucie and Zinaida to one of the nearby longboats. Other pirates piled into the boat and began to row towards the closest ship.

It was the oddest, and most beautiful, ship in the group. Lucie was surprised she had not noticed it before. The masthead was carved in the shape of a wolf. Her head was frozen in mid snarl. Her fangs were so white they looked real in the sunlight. Her fur was carved so skillfully it looked soft and wild. The fur had been painted mostly black but there were swirls of gray and white in it as if the wind had stripped away its color yet they were too purposeful to be just the wind. On the side of the ship, painted in silver letters, where the words Lupis Maris.

“It’s beautiful,” Lucie whispered.

Zinaida glanced at her, “It’s very odd for a ship,” she muttered. “Especially for a pirate ship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading~


	3. Prisoner

Lucie shifted nervously on her chair in the captain's cabin. Blackbeard paced back and forth in front of the girls as he studied them. Warden, who Lucie had later found out was captain of this ship, stood stiffly in one corner. The only one who seemed genuinely relaxed in that room was Blackbeard.

“How is it that ye escaped me pirates and the fires we set to yer town?” Blackbeard finally asked them. Neither girl responded. Lucie was too terrified to register what the pirate even said. He impatiently stalked up to her and grabbed her chin forcing her to look up at him, “Tell me. Before ye end up dead.”

“I- I hid in the forest,” she stuttered.

“Your parents. Who are they?” Blackbeard asked. The question was unexpected but Lucie responded anyway.

“M- My mother’s name was Louise-Anne.” She said in a whisper. “My father’s was James Clark.”

“You sure.” Blackbeard searched her face as if trying to discern if she was lying.

“Yes,” Lucie whispered.

He didn’t say anything more to her but moved on to Zinaida. He asked her the same questions. When he was done Blackbeard stepped back and studied them again. After a while he spoke.

"So it seems you don't know," he whispered more to himself. Then he looked back at the girls. "You two will live on this ship from now on. Warden here will set you to work with the other one."

Other one? Lucie wondered. Who else is here? She didn't say anything but she wanted to ask.

Blackbeard walked back over to Warden and gave him a few instructions. Lucie tried to listen in but at the moment Zinaida leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Was there another person they captured?" She said.

Lucie shrugged, "If they are from town I wonder if we'll know them."

Zinaida tried to respond but Blackbeard had turned around and in that instant the girl drew away. The pirate walked right past them and out the door with barely a glance back at the two girls. As soon as the door closed Warden walked up to them and studied them for a moment.

"I don’t know what so special about you two,” he decided, “But as you will be living on a pirate ship for now on you will need to be careful. We can’t have you die because of some accident.” He motioned for them to follow him as he turned to leave the cabin. They followed him down the hall until he stopped at one of the doors.

"This is where you will be living from now on. You will be working as our cook on this ship. Ask the other girl if you have any questions."

The captain then shoved the two girls through the door. Lucie tripped and would have fallen flat on her face if Zinaida had not been there to steady her. The captain slammed the door behind them and both girls could not help but let out a small sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” Lucie said to her friend.

Zinaida smiled, “No problem.”

Lucie studied her surroundings. The room they were in now felt oddly homey compared to the rest of the ship. The dishes were all stacked and neatly put away. The table and counters were cleaned and spotless. All the food was arranged and stored in their proper places. Herbs hung from the ceiling in organized rows giving off a warm outdoor scent. A fire burned in the fireplace. Lucie could almost forget she was on a pirate ship.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," a girl rose from her seat beside the fire. Her voice was soft and sweet yet Lucie could hear a tinge of bitterness underneath. "My name's Clara."

Despite how bad Lucie and Zinaida looked Clara seemed as if she had been through ten times more. Her thick black hair had long twisted together into matts. Her tattered dress was so worn it was difficult to tell what the color should have been. There were a number of bruises and scrapes on her arms and legs and blood crusted into her clothing. There was a small gray gemstone around her neck that still gleamed despite her overall grubbiness. The girls black eyes were dull yet they showed kindness. She didn’t smiled but her presence filled the room with a slight warmth.

"I'm Zinaida," Zinaida introduced herself and then turned to Lucie. "This is my good friend, Lucie."

"Nice to meet you," Lucie smiled. Clara nodded but didn't say anything and didn't return the smile. "That's a very pretty necklace you have." she tried, hoping to make more of a conversation.

“Thanks,” Clara muttered. “It’s a family heirloom.” She didn’t say anything else and the two girls stood at the door wondering what they should do.

"So what exactly do we do here?" Zinaida asked awkwardly after a long silence.

"We cook," Clara responded. "And then we serve the food."

"That's all? We just cook?"

Lucie tried to imagine her stubborn best friend waiting on pirates for the rest of her life. The idea was almost ridiculous enough to make her laugh but she stayed quiet as she watched the two girls.

“That and stay out of the pirates way,” Clara warned. “Despite Blackbeard's orders they won't hesitate to kill us if they have enough reason.”

“Is there any way off this ship?” Zinaida asked. “An escape route?”

"I've been on this ship for months," Clara snapped already tired of the conversation, "if there was any way to escape I would be long gone." She turned back to the fire and continued to stir whatever-it-was in the pot. “It’s time for lunch. Help me serve.”

The next few weeks Lucie spent on the ship were more tiring than anything. Everyday they cooked for the crew and then served the food. Most of their time was spent in the kitchen or in the little room behind the kitchen where they slept. Once a day they were allowed to walk on the deck but under the watchful eye of the captain.

Clara kept to herself at first but she slowly opened up to Lucie and Zinaida. They could tell the girl was starved of company and wanted their friendship. She was very quiet but listened intently to their conversations. Whenever they would try to direct the conversation to her, Clara would avoid them or give some vague answer. They found it was better to let the girl speak on her own accord.

Despite having her friends around, Lucie found living on a pirate ship nerve wracking. She was always afraid of the pirates. Every time they left the kitchen and walked on top of the deck she would see some of the pirates watching them. None of them approached the girls because they were too wary of the captain.

There were times where some seemingly drunk and violent pirates tried to enter the kitchen. Every time the door mysteriously locked itself and whoever was on the other side would uselessly bang on the wood or yank on the handle. To the girls’ relief the door never yielded no matter who tried to enter. Sometimes even the captain couldn't come in even when he used the keys. Afterwards, the girls would test the door but it always opened for them.

Clara tended to spend any free time she had boiling herbs in a pot. Lucie asked what she was doing but most the time the girl just shrugged but didn't say much. Lucie and Zinaida tried to entertain themselves in their downtime the best they could but there was not much to do in the cramped kitchen. They usually ended up throwing the kitchen knives at the wall and trying to make them stick as best they could. Very few of the knives ever stuck and even after days of this game the wood on the wall sometimes looked barely chipped if that.

One night, as Lucie slept in her cot, she had an oddly vivid dream. She was sitting on top of the masthead watching the sea far below. The wolf's wooden fur was hard beneath her fingers yet at the same time it was soft. She was leaning against one of the ears enjoying the warm sunshine.

Behind her, Pirates were working on the deck. They scurried around like ants and she laughed at how small the seemed. Their shouts could barely be heard from where she sat and their faces blurred from one to another. The captain was only one distinguishable from where he stood among his crew. He yelled orders to them and they scurried around to carry out their duties.

She watched as one of the pirates saw something on a sail and called out to the rest of the crew. Before any of the pirates moved to help him one of the ropes completely disentangled itself from the mast and snatched the pirate into the air. The other pirates froze watching their comrade swinging from the main mast. A few moved forward to try to disentangle the man but more ropes untied themselves and went after the other pirates.

Chaos ensued as some of the pirates tried to escape down below deck but the door had shut itself and would not open. The captain tried to hack down the door with his sword but it barely touched before he was pulled into the air. Other pirates jumped over the side of the ship. Preferring suicide over capture. In the end the ropes had captured most of the crew and held them suspended in the air.

"These men are disgusting," the voice sounded like it was coming from behind her but when she looked there was no one there. It was at that moment that she realized the fur under her was no longer wooden. It was still soft but also warm and alive. The wolf tipped her head back dumping Lucie onto the forecastle. She landed clumsily on the deck and grabbed a railing to steady herself.

When she focused back on the pirates they had disappeared. The ropes were tied back onto the ship as if they had never moved. Girls had replaced the pirates on the deck. She didn't recognize any of them. Their faces were blurs but their voices carried over to where she stood. They smiled, laughed and cried. They spoke freely without fear of being reprimanded for what was said.

Every single one of them carried swords. Some were practicing their swordplay, a few were climbing around on the ropes and some were quietly plucking feathers from some birds, apparently planning to cook it for dinner that evening. It was something Lucie had never even dreamed of. Here were a bunch of girls doing what they wanted without anyone telling them what’s proper.

"I never liked those pirates," this time Lucie realized that the voice was coming from the wolf. Her head was turned so she could look behind her the best she could.

Lucie hesitated. She wondered why the wolf was speaking but instead she asked, “Who are you?” 

"Who I am is none of your concern," the ship said. "It is who you are for which I am concerned."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"For many years I have dealt with captains who have chosen me as their ship." The ship replied, "I prefer to choose my own captain. I would rather you be my captain."

A mixture of emotions tumbled around inside Lucie. She was confused, scared, in a way happy but above all shocked. She found the whole situation hard to believe. The ship was talking and it was talking to her, who her father and brothers had barely given a second thought. It also wanted her to be it’s captain. For the first time since she stepped foot onto this ship Lucie had found a glimmer of hope but she was also scared.

“I’ll give you time to think on it.” the ship said when Lucie didn’t speak. “If you don’t want to become the captain I won’t pressure you. If you do just call me and I will snare those pirates for you.”

The wolf turned to face forward and hardened back into wood. The image of the girls stayed and Lucie watched as two more walked onto the deck. They turned their heads toward her and she recognized them immediately. Zinaida and Clara both looked so much brighter. Their clothes were no longer tattered and were freshly washed. Dirt no longer streaked on their faces and at their sides they carried their own swords proudly.

Zinaida opened her mouth and yelled, "Lucie!"

The dream faded and Lucie woke up back in her cot. Zinaida was leaning over her shaking her awake.

"How long are you going to sleep? It's time to make breakfast."

"I'm up," she yawned.

Zinaida went into the kitchen, while Lucie slid out of her cot. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before following her friend out.

Over the next few days the dream lingered in her mind. She recalled her friends smiling faces and many times she was tempted to take the ship up on her offer. Every time something held her back. Part of it was she didn't want to rush into anything and find out she couldn’t do it after all. The other part was that she found the dream a little too unbelievable.

"Hey Lucie!" Zinaida jerked her out of her thoughts. The other two girls had been talking together but she had not been listening to the conversation. They were walking on the deck under the warm summer sun but Lucie found it difficult to enjoy the beautiful weather. "What are you thinking about?"

She stared into her friend's eyes for a moment. "Nothing much," she shrugged.

"Come on, you've been spacing out more often than usual, tell us." Zinaida urged.

"You've been really distracted," Clara joined in. "Is something bothering you?"

"No, it's-"

A pirate walked up to them, and she didn't feel like finishing her sentence. He moved closer to Lucie, way too close for comfort. She backed away from him until her back was pressed against the rail of the ship.

"You're a pretty girl, aren't ye?" He moved closer to her face.

If Lucie had not been living on a pirate ship she probably would have frozen in fear. She was still terrified but instead of cowering she instinctively shoved the pirate away.

“Get out of my face,” she squeaked.

The pirate smiled but didn’t back away, “A feisty one too.”

He grabbed her wrist and tried to drag Lucie away. As she struggled she noticed Zinaida glaring out the pirate out of the corner of her eye. The girl suddenly kicked him in the shin and the pirate abruptly let go of Lucie. As he screamed in pain and anger, she said, "Go pick on someone else."

"I was givin’ the lady a compliment," he spat. "You're a rotten one aren't ye? I'll have to teach ye a lesson."

He stood up straight and shoved Zinaida. The girl stumbled and fell to the deck. Lucie didn't know what to do as she watched the pirate attempt to beat her friend. As it turned out Zinaida didn’t need any help. She rolled away from the pirate before standing up to face him. He swung a punch and she ducked. He caught her and pinned her to a wall.

"Nowhere to run now," the pirate said. "What are you going to-"

Lucie wondered why the pirate suddenly stopped when she saw Zinaida sidestep. She was holding a knife and her hands were covered in blood. The pirate collapsed to the deck and muttered a few curses under his breath. He clutched his chest where blood was pouring out.

Other pirates on the deck immediately surrounded the three girls. The men restrained all them and someone took the knife away from Zinaida. The captain angrily strode up to the group and his eyes swiftly scanned them.

"It is because Blackbeard asked me a favor that you three are allowed to stay here alive," He told them. "But as soon as you cause trouble..." He broke off and drew his sword.

Lucie shivered in terror, Clara paled and Zinaida struggled free herself but her strength would never be enough to escape the pirates.

"Who would like to die first?" When no one responded the captain walked over to Zinaida and touched his sword against her neck. "Why don't we kill the murderer first? She seems to be the tough one out of you three."

There was a dangerous gleam to the captain’s eyes and Lucie realized that he had only been waiting for an excuse to kill them.

"There is one way to save you and your friends," she jumped in surprise when she heard the voice of the ship clearly inside her head. "Just tell me when."

The captain had noticed her sudden movement and he stepped towards her instead, "Are you volunteering to go first? Well, let's see how your friend reacts when you die before her."

The pirate raised his sword, Lucie realized that if she wanted to live she only had one option. She glared at the captain. Knowing that she really had the upper hand.

"Do it," she told the ship.

The pirate swung his sword but a second later it fell to the deck with a clang. At the same time the pirates’ grip on her arms loosened. Just like in her dream the pirates scurried around the ship like caged animals as they tried to escape the ropes. It only took seconds for the ropes to capture every member of the crew and throw them up into the air.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Zinaida gaped at the suspended pirates.

"I just took over the ship," Lucie responded, "and now it's ours."

"What are you talking about you stupid girl," the old captain yelled shaking his fist at them. "This is my ship. I am the captain!"

Lucie picked up his sword with two hands and pointed it right at him. "You're wrong. This is my ship now. That means I am captain."


	4. The Secret Room

It took at least an hour to escort every pirate down to the brig. They were careful to disarm each one and confiscate the keys from the captain. The three of them used the confiscated swords to escort each pirate to the brig.

After that, Lucie did her best to explain what happened. Despite how skeptical Clara and Zinaida were they chose to believe her. By the time they made dinner and cleaned up it was getting late so they decided to leave exploring the ship for the morning.

That was when the real work began. The girls took count of all the rooms in the ship. They all agreed to work on the hold last. It was the room that needed the most work but they decided it could wait for later. They began with the parlor instead. Repairing the furniture the best they could but some of it was too damaged. They all agreed that they would need to eventually buy new furniture. With all the damage done by the pirates it took over a day to clean each room. They ended up searching the hold for supplies to help them out in the cleaning.

Zinaida chose one of the empty rooms as her own and moved out of the small room behind the kitchen. Lucie moved herself into the captain’s cabin as soon as she had cleared out all of the old captains stuff. Clara chose to stay in the room behind the kitchen.

As they were cleaning, many of the useless items they found were thrown down into the hold to be sorted out later. When the girls were finally able to clean out that part of the ship, they found many more useful items than they originally thought were there. From the contents of some of the smashed crates, they assumed the ship had been a trading ship before pirates took over.

Clara was the one who located the barrels of rum. Many of them were empty but there were a few that were still full. Zinaida immediately ran upstairs and grabbed a few cups from the kitchen. She filled each one about half-full and handed them out.

Clara stared into her cup warily, “Should we be drinking this?”

Lucie took her cup and looked in, “Back home she used to always sneak rum from her father.”

Zinaida shrugged, “He always had plenty so why not?” She raised her cup in the air, “Cheers to our new captain, Lucie Clark!”

“Cheers,” the other two echoed. Zinaida and Lucie both drank theirs in one gulp while Clara only sipped at hers. Zinaida decided to go for more but Lucie out her cup down and continued cleaning. She knew only too well what happened when she drank too much.

"Hey, Lucie. Clara!" Zinaida rushed into the kitchen where Clara and Lucie were cleaning up breakfast. "I found something you need to see!"

The girl barely waited for them to respond before she ran excitedly out of the kitchen again. Lucie and Clara glanced at each other before running after their friend. They followed her down into the hold.They were almost done cleaning so the place was easier to walk through. Their friend had run to one of the far walls and was staring intently at the wood. Lucie wondered for a moment if she had any rum that morning.

"It's right here," she ran her fingers over what looked like a crack in the wall. "A hidden door."

Lucie took a step forward to get a closer look. She had to really search for it but she could see the subtle line of a door in the wall, "You're right."

"How do you open it?" Clara asked.

"Right here," Zinaida pulled away a square piece of wood from the door revealing a small door knob. "I've tried to open it but it won't budge."

Clara bent over to try but she didn't have any luck. "Stuck, maybe? I don't see a keyhole."

Lucie bent to study the doorknob. It was plain little nob the same color as the door. If no one was looking for it then they would not have noticed it. She reached to try the knob and it turned easily in her hand. The door silently opened revealing another small room beyond.

"I tried all morning and couldn't open it," Zinaida said. "How did you do it?"

Lucie shrugged, "It just opened."

She led the way inside the room. It was just big enough for the three of them to stand comfortably inside. Shelves lined two of the walls. They were mostly bare except for a number of swords lying on one part of the shelf in back. At the back wall there was an armoire that held a bunch of dresses. Each dress came with a matching cape and leather bodice that Lucie assumed was meant to give them some protection.

“I could certainly use a new dress,” Clara said wistfully. They all looked down at their tattered and faded clothes. With all the work they had been doing none of them had the time to make new dresses, even though they had the materials.

“I think we all could.” Zinaida laughed before they rushed to the armoire and went rifling through the dresses.

Lucie found a dark sea green dress with little silver seashells embroidered on the sleeves and around the waist. The material shimmered slightly in the light reminding her of the sun shining off of water. The cloak was also a dark green with seashells around the edges. The leather bodice, like all the others, was a dark brown color and laced up in the front. She took the dress off the rack and tried it on. Everything fit perfectly and the skirt didn’t hinder her movements as much as they normally did.

“What do you think?” Zinaida asked.

Lucie turned around to see Zinaida wearing a striking blue dress with a strange lightning bolt design embroidered on it. It had black lace along the edges. It’s sleeves went to about her elbows with more black lace going further than that. It looked to be a bit thin, but when she slipped on the matching cloak, it looked like it would hold heat much better. The dress and everything that went along with it simply was exactly made for her friend.

“It suits you,” Lucie smiled.

“This is much better than those old dresses,” Clara said.

She was wearing a pitch black dress. Ivory white lace decorated the her cuffs and neckline. Hanging from the neckline was a fiery red ruby. The sleeves only went down to the elbow but the cloak, which was black as the dress would keep her warm.

"I know a bit about sword fighting," Clara told them as she gazed at the swords. "We should take these swords up and I will teach you how to use them."

Taking up Clara's offer, the three of them gathered up all the swords and made their way outside. They carefully piled them off to the side and then waited for Cara’s instructions.

"First things first," she began instructing. "You must find a sword that is equally balanced."

She picked up one at random and tried swinging it around. Lucie reached in and grabbed a sword herself. Just by holding it she could already feel it was too heavy. A few others she decided weren't right after playing around with them. After trying out half the swords she finally found one that worked.

All the swords were double-edged blades and wickedly sharp. Lucie’s blade was a bright silver color and the hilt a darker gray. Close to black. The leather grip was a sea blue color.

Zinaida was having issues until she came upon the first sword Lucie tried. She held it in her palm and inspected it. The metal was a bright gold color, the hilt a darker bronze. The grip was made of brown leather. Overall, the blade was beautiful to look at. “This one’s perfect for me.”

“Are you kidding? That one was even too heavy for Clara!” Lucie exclaimed.

“Really, this sword was too heavy for you?” Zinaida asked, directing her question more towards Clara than Lucie.

Clara nodded. “Maybe you just have strong arms, Zinaida.”

“That’s interesting...” she murmured, her eyes resting once yet again on the beautiful blade.

On all of their sword sheaths, they had strange little charms. Zinaida and Clara had two. Lucie noticed she had three. Zinaida and Clara’s charms were both the same. They each had one bow charm, like a hunter’s bow. They also had a quiver full of arrows to match the bow charm. Lucie’s had both the bow and quiver charm, too, but she had another of a different sword. She seemed to be the only one to notice them. They were an odd decoration but she forgot about them minutes later as she concentrated on Clara’s instruction.

The three girls went outside to the top deck to practice fighting with their swords. First Clara decided she’d train Zinaida. “I want to see your abilities with the sword first. I want to see if you really do have good upper body strength...”

Lucie watched with intent eyes as Zinaida stepped forward and took a stance. “That’s actually a good stance...” Clara mentioned. “Now, come at me with the first attack you think of.”

Lucie was intrigued. Zinaida unsheathed the blade and stepped towards Clara with an attempted strike. Clara easily blocked, but she looked a bit surprised. She didn’t say anything, though. Zinaida whirled around and swung her sword towards Clara’s side. Clara blocked once yet again, but the look of surprise still was shown in her features. Then the girl decided to take it up a notch and started raining more attacks on Zinaida.

After a while she finally stepped back. Both girls were out of breath but Lucie could tell that if this had been a real fight then Zinaida would have lost by a large gap.

“You’re a natural,” Clara praised. “Lucie! Your turn.” Lucie traded places with Zinaida and stood facing Clara. “Now, Lucie, it’s time for you to show me what you can do."

“Okay,” she said, trying to take a stance like Zinaida did, but didn’t find it comfortable or natural. She looked at Clara with hesitation, so Clara struck first. Lucie narrowly blocked the hit to her arm. She took a step forward but stumbled on a loose plank of wood on the deck. Clara hadn’t taken advantage of her almost trip, but she did strike Lucie once she regained balance. As their fight wore on she kept focus on fighting, and managed to block all of Clara’s hits. At the end she managed to add a few strikes of her own but was not at the level of Zinaida. Still, she was just excited to learn how to wield a weapon.

“It’s okay you’re not a natural like Zinaida. Most people take years of training to get good.”

“I want to try fighting against Zinaida,” Lucie said.

“Are you sure?” Clara asked.

“Yes,” she answered.

Zinaida walked to Lucie with her unsheathed sword. “Lucie... this will be interesting.”

She immediately surprised Lucie by attacking almost instantaneously. Lucie barely managed to block the swing from Zinaida, aimed towards her leg. Lucie swung back towards her friend, aiming for the arm. She seemed to easily block it. She whirled around and almost nailed a swipe to the torso and Lucie just barely stepped back in time.

Suddenly, the Lupis Maris lurched to the side, and a wave of sea water splashed the two of them, causing Zinaida to stumble backwards. The water cleared Lucie’s thoughts and she was able to see Zinaida’s attack in slow motion, almost. She blocked it easily, and then countered. Clara broke them apart after a few minutes.

“That was a really good duel, you two,” Clara smiled. “Zinaida... I think you’ll be better than me soon... Just a few things for you to correct. Lucie... you definitely did better in this fight than you did against me.”

“Thanks,” Lucie said, feeling a surge of pride that she’d been able to stand against Zinaida, but feeling a bit surprised that she was able to think clearer the second round.

“I wish the water didn’t splash me,” Zinaida said. “I’ll have to find something else to wear for the night.”

“Same here,” Lucie agreed, staring at her soaked dress.

Slowly, the rest of the week drudged on. The girls didn’t have as much cleaning to do anymore, so they spent most of the time sword fighting. Lucie mentally kept a tally of how many times she won against Zinaida, and how many times she lost. Zinaida won about thirteen. Lucie won about nine.

A few days later, when they were approaching land, Lucie ran to the front and climbed up the masthead to get a better look. Sometimes in her free time she liked to sit up there and read one of the books she had found in the hold. Today she wanted to sit and watch as the little strip of land grew bigger in the horizon. She knew it would still be a while before they arrived but she was excited to finally see land.

It was early autumn but a chill was already starting to creep in. She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and couldn't help but think that over a month ago she was just a normal girl. Spending her days cooking, cleaning and looking after her family. Her old home is now charcoal but she had found a new one here on this ship. It was difficult to believe this was now her reality.


	5. New Freedom

“It feels a lot like Clovelly, doesn’t it?” Zinaida sighed wistfully.

“I miss it,” Lucie agreed.

The three of them were standing on the ship’s forecastle. Back in Clovelly, their hometown, Zinaida used to drag Lucie to the docks just so she could watch for pirate ships. Out of boredom Lucie had often watched as people went about their daily lives. Even though she was watching from a different vantage point this time she still saw people doing much of the same activities.

"Seeing places like this," Clara spoke, "makes me wonder where we would be without those pirates."

“Zinaida and I would not have met you,” Lucie said which made Clara smile.

“At least we made a new friend,” Zinaida agreed.

“But so many people had to die.” Clara looked as if she was remembering something horrible. Lucie could only guess what it was. The girl never told them how she ended up on the pirate ship and they decided it was better not to pry.

"And that’s why we'll pay those pirates back." Zinaida turned towards the other two girls. "We'll destroy those pirates so they won't be able to ever hurt anyone again. We will make them regret all the lives they stole."

"That's going to take time," Lucie said though she could not help but feel her friend’s enthusiasm. "We are going to need a bigger crew and we will need to teach them to fight... But if we work hard we can do it."

"Let's do it," Clara agreed. “Together we will build a crew stronger than any other.”

"Today, while we are out in town, we should keep our eye out for anyone we can recruit," Lucie told them. "We should try to find girls like us who need a new home.”

“Sounds like that’s going be difficult.” Clara sighed.

"Then you two should get going," Zinaida grabbed them and dragged them off the ship. “We don’t have all day to dawdle.”

That morning the girls had decided on three tasks that needed to be done. Clara would take some of the money they found and buy supplies for the ship. Being prisoner on the ship the pirates never let her off but now that she was free she wanted to enjoy a walk through town. Zinaida said she would stay and sell whatever was in the hold they didn't need. She had seen her father haggle with merchants before and knew how it worked. Being the last job left, Lucie agreed she would find the prison and have the warden take the pirates off their ship.

"See you all tonight!" Clara waved at them and raced into town.

"See you!" Lucie waved at Zinaida before heading out as well.

The prison was near the docks so she had no trouble finding it. A little nervous she hesitated outside the door. The shadows of the stone building stretched across the street giving the building an apprehensive appearance. Attempting to shrug off her fear, she took a deep breath and rushed inside. Lucie barely glanced around the place before rushing up to the warden. The warden was standing by one if the cells giving orders to some of his soldiers. As she approached all the men grew silent and watched her. Beneath their curious stares she felt small and insignificant. She wished she could disappear on the spot.

Instead she took a deep breath and said, "My father captured a whole crew of pirates on our last voyage." She used the story that Zinaida had come up with earlier. The three of them realized that people would not react very well to only three girls with their own ship. Men didn’t like women, much less girls, in power. Even though they knew nothing for sure they still wanted to use caution.

"And why didn't your father come himself?" the warden asked.

"We had a tough journey here," she pouted. "The crew needs to rest but my father does not want to leave the pirates on his ship any longer so he sent me to speak with you."

She smiled innocently at the warden but he hesitated. Watching her through narrowed eyes, she was afraid he might not buy her story.

"Come with us," he finally said.

Lucie followed the warden through the halls and out to where the carriages were. As they were walking, the warden gave orders to his soldiers. Some stayed to watch the prison while others rushed out to hook the horses up to the carriages. After that, it took only minutes to drive up to the docks. Lucie showed him where the ship was and the soldiers followed her into the brig.

"That's a lot of pirates," the warden crossed his arms. "How did your father capture this many?"

"They tried to raid our ship," she shivered a little in fear “but my father managed to capture them instead.”

The warden nodded and motioned for her to unlock the doors. She did as he asked and the soldiers entered to take the pirates. She watched as each pirate was led out of their cells. As the soldiers moved in and out, they barely glanced at her standing by the door. It was as if she was only a shadow watching them. The captain was the very last pirate to leave.

He leaned against the bars where Lucie was standing and whispered, "You better be careful, girl. This world is not made for women to lead. You won't survive long."

She smirked. "We are quite stubborn. We will survive, no matter what comes our way."

The captain laughed, “There’s no way you and your companions could stand up to Blackbeard. He has more ships than the ones that raided your town. Mark my words, you won’t survive the sea with him on your tail.”

The captain continued to laughed as he was dragged out of his cell. Lucie watched him leave. She had already expected Blackbeard wouldn’t be happy but hearing it from the captain made her realize how dangerous this might just be. Still, she refused to give up.

The warden stood by the door until the last of his men left. He took one last glance at Lucie before walking out. When he had finally gone she took a deep breath. That whole time she had been terrified that the pirates would say something but thankfully they stayed quiet. After closing the door to the brig, she headed up to the kitchen where Clara was putting food away.

"So you got the warden to take all the pirates?" she asked.

"Without much of a problem," Lucie began to help put food in one of the cupboards. "I think the warden’s a little suspicious though."

"What makes you say that?" Zinaida asked entering the kitchen. She slumped in one of the chairs, exhausted.

"The way he kept watching me." She said. "I'm not sure how much he believed the story."

"Well, we are not staying very long. We'll be gone before they have a chance to investigate." Clara sat at the table with Zinaida. "How did the trading go?"

"Haggling for good prices is a lot harder than I thought." Zinaida said. "But I managed to sell almost everything. I also found someone who needs to ship some herbs and spices. I figured it would be a good way to make money."

"Why not?" Lucie shrugged. “The money the pirates left behind won’t last forever.”

As planned they continued to move from port to port. Shipping whatever they could to earn money. They hadn't found anyone else who wanted to join their crew but they waited. Hoping that someone will appear. Zinaida was beginning to get impatient but Lucie was usually able to calm her down. She knew from the beginning gathering a crew was going to be difficult and they couldn’t advertise themselves without bringing unwanted attention from the soldiers. Still they didn’t give up.

One night, Lucie sat up in her cot wide awake. Ever since she watched her town burn she had nightmares about that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see the fires that swallowed everything, she heard the screams of terror and saw the burnt bodies that littered the streets. Some nights, she barely slept in fear of seeing those images.

Not only that but despite all their best efforts, rumors were beginning to spread. It seemed no matter what they did people still became suspicious. Less people wanted to employ their services and the girls could feel suspicion from the glances of every soldier in town. There were a few people that still trusted them enough to ship their goods and Zinaida would put in the extra effort to make sure they kept them.

With a sigh, Lucie slid out of her cot and stretched. Looking around her cabin, she could almost feel the invisible presence of someone beside her. As if there were more people on the ship than the three of them. Ever since the first day the girls were on the ship Lucie had felt as if there was always someone always walking in the hallways. At first she just assumed the pirates were always up and roaming the halls. They never seemed to sleep much. Even though they were no longer on the ship she still had that feeling. She usually blamed stress and pushed the thoughts away.

Lucie pulled on her dress, wrapped herself in her cloak and she made sure she grabbed a pair of gloves. Winter was coming and it was only getting colder by the day. She strapped her sword around her waist and then headed up to the deck.

She left her cabin quietly so as not to wake anyone up. Reaching the top deck she took a breath of the cold, night air. Once she was down on the dock, she paused and gazed up at the ship with its clean white sails gleaming in the moonlight. The shining silver flag, designed by Zinaida, had a midnight black wolf on it howling up to an ivory white moon. Now that the girls had finished cleaning the ship it felt more like home and less like the prison it used to be.

She turned away from her ship and walked through the silent streets. Lucie welcomed the peaceful night. She didn’t mind the noisy streets during the day, but at night it was nice to just walk in the peace and quiet. She admired how different each of the buildings looked at night rather than during the day. She walked by many stores glancing inside their dark windows wondering what ghost haunted each building. After each alley, she considered who could possibly be tucked away beneath the darkness.

As Lucie walked past one alley, a scream shattered the night. Without thinking, she turned and ran toward the sound. It was so dark she nearly ran into the pirate. Lucky for her, he was too focused on his prey to notice she was there.

The pirate had pulled his sword out of the man lying in the ground in front of him. He then walked towards the girl standing a few feet away. Even in the dark Lucie could see the terror in her pale face as the pirate approached. She saw the murderous glint in his eyes as he prepared to kill her.

"Hey!" Lucie jumped in front of the pirate to attract his attention. “Leave that girl alone!” The pirate took a step back in shock but quickly regained his composure.

“How do you plan to stop me?" he laughed.

"How do you think?" Lucie drew her sword.

"Where would a girl learn how to fight?" The pirate kept his sword limp by his side. She just smiled and the pirate went on. "I doubt you can even wield it properly!" he grinned.

Lucie laughed inside at his arrogance, but she was still nervous and scared. Though she didn’t hesitate as she charged the pirate with her sword, but he easily blocked. Both Lucie and the pirate stepped back to study each other. The pirate took his turn. Aiming at her neck, he swung. She dodged the sword and slashed at his legs. The pirate tried to move out of the way but didn’t expect her to move towards him. Blood spurted from the wound and the man stumbled, cursing under his breath. She moved in for another attack but the pirate blocked it.

The fight would have continued but they could hear shouts of soldiers down the alley. Footsteps echoed through the night, warning of their approach. The pirate hesitated for a moment. He glanced at Lucie one last time before running down the other end of the alley. He completely ignored the girl still standing against one of the buildings. Lucie was about to run as well when the girl grabbed her arm.

"Thank you," was all she said before before letting her go.

Lucie gave her a quick nod before running off. She ran until she made it back to the docks. It was not until then that she allowed herself to slow down. Her thoughts drifted back to the recent fight. Something about the pirate had seemed familiar. As if she knew him from somewhere. It was difficult to see his face in that dark alley but she recognized his voice. No matter how hard she tried she could not put a face to it.

Exhausted, she walked back to her ship. Once she lay down in her cot, it took only seconds for her to fall into a dreamless sleep.


	6. The First Recruits

"What took so long!" Lucie exclaimed. “I was about to go looking for you.” Zinaida smiled as she rode up to the docks on a cart they had hired to transport goods. The man who was driving the cart gave a quick nod of greeting to Lucie before he jumped off and began unloading.

"Someone was murdered last night," she replied. "I hung around a little longer around to hear some of the rumors.”

"What happened?" Lucie asked.

"Well apparently he was the son of some noble family that’s staying in town. Thats why everyones so shaken up," Zinaida said. “They all assume it's a pirate who did it.”

"And you think differently?" Lucie said. Pretending she was not there the night before and that she hadn’t seen the murder herself. She was curious to know what rumors were circulating about the incident.

"The family seems to think it was pirates who did it as well." Zinaida replied honestly, “but they are not the only murderers out there. People jump to that conclusion too quickly.”

“So no one saw anything?” Lucie asked. The cart driver finished unloading the supplies and Zinaida payed him. With a nod to the girls he drove away.

Zinaida shrugged. "Nope, no one saw anyone on the streets last night and the soldiers arrived after whoever-it-was escaped.” They walked over to the pile of supplies and gathered as many of the packages as they could carry. They then turned to put them away on the ship.

Lucie opened her mouth to ask another question but she was interrupted by someone else. "No one knows because no one asks the right questions to the the right people.” Both Lucie and Zinaida turned around to see who spoke. Three girls were walking towards them and Zinaida glared at them suspiciously. Lucie recognized one of them as the girl she saved the night before. She looked expectantly at Lucie, “Am I not correct?”

“That’s true,” Lucie replied, she decided to stop pretending that she knew nothing of the topic. “I’m glad to see you’re not hurt.”

“All thanks to you,” the girl nodded.

“Did I miss something?” Zinaida asked looking between the two of them.

“I saved her last night from a pirate.” Lucie explained.

“When?”

“Late, you may have been asleep.”

“Wait so you saw what happened,” Zinaida looked like she wanted to kill Lucie. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?! Why were you even up so late?”

“I couldn’t sleep so I went out for a walk,” Lucie said.

“It’s dangerous to go out at night alone. What if one of the pirates killed you?”

“I’m more careful than that. I usually stay out of people’s way when I see them.”

“So you decided to walk right into a fight last night?” Lucie didn’t want to admit that she did run down the alley a little carelessly. She opened her mouth to reply when Clara appeared.

“May I ask for your names?” She interrupted stopping Lucie and Zinaida before they really started to argue. Both girls had forgotten about the newcomers and now stepped away from each other, slightly embarrassed. Zinaida turned to put the food she was holding in the kitchen but Lucie stayed on the dock. As captain she had to see what the girls wanted.

“My name is Zorah,” the first girl introduced herself, “and these are my friends, Elizabeth and Martina.”

Just from her dress Lucie could tell Zorah’s family had money. She was the tallest of the group but that was not the reason Lucie thought she was the oldest. It was more in the way she carried herself that gave off that certain vibe. Her light brown hair was curled and pulled up on top of her head. Although it looked a little messy, as if a few of the pins had fallen out. In a way, her messy hair matched her deep gray eyes.

Elizabeth was hiding shyly behind Zorah’s skirts. She wore a maid's dress with her brown hair pulled back into a bun. Her bright green eyes and tan skin made her look older than she probably was. There was a wary look in her eyes when she glanced at Lucie and Clara.

Martina also wore expensive clothing though her shoulder-length, dark brown hair was loose and messy. She was about a few years younger than Zorah and didn't quite carry herself with the same grace.

What Lucie thought was odd was that all three girls wore a similar necklace. It was very plain and simple for a noble’s daughter and not something and common maid would have. She only had to assume that it was something they treasured form they childhood and that maybe one of them had given Elizabeth one as well. From what she could tell the necklace comprised of a simple gemstone strung on a leather cord. Each stone was a different color, most likely to match the girls’ personalities.

"May we speak to the captain of this ship?" Martina asked.

At that Clara turned pointedly towards Lucie, “It’s your turn.” She took the parcels out of her arms and went back onto the ship. Lucie then turned her attention back to Zorah and her friends.

“Follow me,” she said, before finally walking on the ship herself.

Down in the parlor, Lucie poured tea Zinaida had prepared for their guests. They sat uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa. They seemed unsure what to do or say so they silently watched as she poured each of them a cup. When she was done, she took her seat on a chair across from them and sipped at her tea.

"I am Lucie," she introduced herself. "Captain of this ship."

Zorah nearly choked on her tea, “you’re the captain?”

“Yes,” Lucie said as if it should have been obvious. “Who else?”

“We heard the rumors,” Zorah explained, “but I didn’t think all of them were true. I really didn’t expect the captain to be a girl.”

"If you don't mind me asking," Martina held her tea in her hands but didn’t drink any of it, "how does a girl like you become captain of her own ship?"

“That’s a long story.” Lucie said after taking another sip. “Do you really want to hear it?”

“It’s strange for women to have any sort of power in today’s society,” Zorah replied. “We want to know how you managed it.”

Lucie sat back in her chair. She closed her eyes, seeing the burnt faces of Clovelly for the millionth time. When she looked back at the three girls she said, "Listen carefully, because I'm only going to tell this story once."

They nodded so she took a deep breath and began. The hardest part of the story to tell was the beginning. When she described the aftermath of the fire, it took all her willpower not to cry. She could physically feel herself shaking with effort to keep her emotions in check. Clara had never asked the details of what had happened to them in town. It seemed that she already knew in a way so they never talked about it. This was the first time she told the story. It was tearing open wounds she had tried hard to heal but in some ways she knew they never would.

Zinaida and Clara entered while she was talking. They quietly sat themselves down and listened to the story. Zinaida would sometimes add her own comment here and there but she mostly listened. They had poured themselves tea when they entered but their cups were soon forgotten in the overwhelming tide of painful memories. By the time Lucie finished talking, the rest of them forgot about it as well and by that time it had grown cold.

"So you stole the ship from Blackbeard?" Martina gaped at them.

"That's why it would be dangerous to travel with us," Zinaida warned. "We tell you this now so that you can leave before the door closes and it’s too late. Our plan is to eventually destroy those pirates who have taken so many lives. It is a dangerous task but that’s what we chose to do."

Zorah looked at Lucie, "Since you told us your story we'll tell you ours."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Clara interrupted and Lucie nodded in agreement.

The older girl shook her head, "I want to." Martina nodded so Zorah began their story. "Both Martina and I are from well respected noble families. Our families had good relations with each other so we met often. Martina and her family were about to leave on a ship headed to London. Her father had business over there and he was going to take his family with to show them the city. Before they could set sail pirates attacked. Both of her parents were killed trying to protect her. With their help she was able to escape the pirates and make her way to my family’s manor for help. Since our families were so close my parents took her in. I was going to get married soon and would be gone from the home so they didn’t mind taking care of another person.”

Zorah paused and Martina quickly picked up where she left off. “We had come to town to prepare for the wedding. While we were here, we heard rumors of a ship that was run by girls was docked here. Neither of us liked our families. Nor did we care much about living among the rich. We wanted to find the rumored ship and see if there was a way we could sail with them. Late last night Zorah decided to sneak out and take a look at the ship. To see if the rumors were true. Her brother caught her leaving the house and forced her to explain what she was doing. Instead of stopping her from leaving, he chose to go with her down to the docks. He had always been against Zorah’s marriage and would have done anything to help her out of it. We didn’t originally ask him for help because we didn’t want to get him caught up in anything.

“On the way there they unexpectedly ran into a pirate.” Martina looked at Lucie gratefully. “If you had not showed up then Zorah would have shared the same fate as her brother. When she came back, she told us what happened. She said that the moment you jumped in front the pirate she knew that you must have come from the rumored ship that she was looking for. We decided that the next morning we would leave home and ask if we could join your crew.

“Elizabeth,” Martina glanced down at the girl, “is one of the maids that worked in Zorah’s manor. Because she is so shy she was treated very poorly by the other maids so we brought her with us. She is our friend and we couldn’t bear to leave her behind.” Martina finished. Zorah stared down at the floor. Lucie couldn’t see her face clearly but she knew that the girl must be grieving for her brother.

“As Zinaida already told you, joining us would be dangerous.” Lucie said, “Blackbeard is not going to like it that we stole his ship. Do you still want to stay?”

“I don’t want to go back,” Elizabeth spoke for the first time since they met. Lucie’s eyes widened in shock. She didn’t realize the girl could speak because she had been so quiet.

“None of us really want to go back,” Zorah shook her head. “My parents have both fallen apart because of my brother’s death. That place was never really a home for me either.” Martina nodded in agreement.

“Then welcome to the crew.” Lucie said.

Zinaida jumped out of her chair excitedly, “Follow us and we will give you a tour.”

“Wait!” Zorah threw her hands out to stop them.

“What is it?” Lucie spoke from where she was still sitting in her chair. Zinaida sat back down to hear what Zorah was going to say.

"It's about the pirates." Zorah continued, "Last night, the soldiers interrogated me. They asked me why I was out so late. When I didn’t give a satisfying answer, they took me back to the prison to ask more questions. While I was there, a pirate ship was spotted off the coast. Although the pirates made no move to attack all the soldiers were preparing to defend. They were so distracted by the pirates I was able to sneak home." Zorah was shaking slightly at the memory. Elizabeth clung more tightly to Zorah. Comforting the older girl in an odd way.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Lucie said to Clara and Zinaida. “For now let’s get these girl’s set up in the crew’s cabin.” She stood up and walked over to where Zorah sat. She held her hand out to her and smiled, “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of those pirate’s for you.”

That night Lucie, Zinaida and Clara met in the kitchen. It was starting to become their usual meeting spot whenever they needed to talk. Usually it was over meals so it made sense to be in the kitchen. The fire in the fireplace had not quite died yet and Zinaida added more wood to keep it going.

“What do we want to do about the pirates Zorah mentioned?” Clara asked.

Zinaida leaned forward in her chair, “When I went into town to check things out, I heard some of the soldiers talking. They’re on edge because the ship is just sitting out there. It’s too far away to hit anything with cannon fire and since we can’t see it from our ship it must be too far away too be seen by the naked eye.”

“This bothers me,” Lucie said. “We have not seen anything of Blackbeard or his pirates for months. He should have known that one of his ships disappeared a while ago. So why hasn’t he done anything?”

“You’re right.” Zinaida said. “He should know we do not have the numbers nor the strength to battle him. It shouldn’t have been difficult to track us down, so why hasn’t he come?”

“He’s planning something.” Lucie said. “Back at Clovelly, he could have killed us easily. But he didn’t. He must want us for some reason.”

“What would he need us for?” Zinaida asked.

“I don’t know but I say he’s going to make his move soon. We have to have some kind of a strategy. We need to be prepared for the worst.” Lucie decided.

“How?” Zinaida looked at the three of them. “We did gain three new members today but they don’t have any training. And even though we are on the same level as Clara now, we can’t defeat a whole ship of pirates by ourselves.”

“It’s no problem if they raid our ship. The ship could easily tie them up with the ropes like it did before,” Lucie said. “The problem is if we are attacked off our ship. That’s when we’re in trouble.”

“I have an idea,” Clara finally broke into their conversation. She had been silently watching the whole time but Lucie had not forgotten she was there. “Since fighting plain head on would just kill us, we should use another weapon.”

“We don’t have time to learn how to fight using different weapon.” Zinaida objected. “Not when we have pirates anchored so close to us.” 

“This is not one that you would need training to use. It’s something I have been preparing for this purpose,” Clara said.

“Oh, and what is that?” Lucie leaned forward in her chair.

“Poison.” Clara smiled. An excited smile that she had never seen her friend use.


	7. Poisoning

“...pirates,” Lupis’ voice woke Lucie up. She groaned and tried to block out the wolf. As far as she was concerned it was too early to be awake. “Wake up. Pirates are on the ship.” the wolf said again, this time breaking through Lucie’s sleep haze but it still took a few moments for what she heard to fully sink in.

“I’m up,” she muttered, annoyed at being woken too early. Out of habit she rarely slept in. Lucie was usually up when the sun was up but there were a few exceptions where she and Zinaida had dueled a little too late. This was one of those mornings.

Yawning, she pulled on her dress and strapped on her sword. Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Zorah was yelling her name, probably waking up everyone else on the ship while she was at it. The door to Lucie’s cabin swung open.

“There are pirate’s on the ship requesting your presence!” Zorah exclaimed after catching her breath.

“I know,” Lucie marched past the the frightened girl. “Don’t worry they’re not here for a fight.” Zorah gave Lucie weird look but followed her out of the cabin.

They walked down the hallway to where Zinaida, Martina and Elizabeth waited. All three looked sleepy-eyed with messy hair. Elizabeth yawned making some of the other girls yawn with her. Zinaida had at least pulled her hair back but it didn’t do much to hide the fact that she had just woken up.

“What’s going on?” Zinaida asked them.

“Pirates,” Lucie said before heading up the stairs. “On the ship.”

The other girls followed her up but Zinaida was the only one who kept her pace. They burst through the door at the top, blinking in the early morning sunlight. It was still chilly and Lucie wrapped her cloak tighter around herself in an attempt to keep out the cold.

Three figures were standing across the deck from them. Clara was already outside with the two pirates, talking to them. Even from this distance, Lucie could see how tense her friend was. The pirate said something to Clara and she glared at him in annoyance. Lucie and Zinaida glanced at each other before heading over.

From up close she could see how relaxed the pirates were despite being on a stranger's ship. Which meant they were way underestimating the girls but that was to be expected. It didn’t change the fact the Lucie knew the three girls were an even match for these pirates.

“What are you doing on my ship?” she demanded once they were close enough.

“We have a message from our captain,” one of them said.

“What does he want?” Zinaida asked. She was tense with one hand on her sword. It would barely take any provocation from these pirates for her friend to start fighting. Lucie just hoped the girl would hold herself back long enough.

“He wants to speak with your captain,” he told them. “Wants to meet you tonight on his ship. Says he has a message from Blackbeard.”

“How do we know this isn’t some trap of his?” Lucie asked suspiciously. She wanted to deal with these pirates here while they were on the ship but then the girls would have a whole crew of angry pirates waiting for them. There was also another part of her that realized it would be better to see what Blackbeard wants and be prepared.

“He says if you refuse then he will come steal your ship and then take you directly to Blackbeard. Either way is fine with him.” the pirate smirked.

“Let us talk it over,” Lucie said before withdrawing back to talk with her crew. The three new girls kept glancing nervously at the pirates. Martina looked as if she wanted to fight the pirates just as bad as Zinaida did.

“Are you really going to take up their offer?” Zorah asked anxiously. She kept a protective hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder.

“I think it would be a good idea,” Lucie answered. “I want to know what Blackbeard wants.”

“It can’t be anything good,” Zinaida muttered.

“We should take this chance,” Clara agreed with Lucie. “We really have no idea what we’re up against. This way we can gauge the strength of one of Blackbeard’s crews.”

“But what if they capture you?” Martina asked, clear concern on her face, “Or kill you?”

“If we refuse to meet, he will attack anyway,” Zinaida said. “We really don’t have much choice.”

“Couldn’t we try to outrun them?” Zorah asked. “If we leave late at night then maybe they won’t notice.”

“It would be cowardly to run away.” Zinaida crossed her arms. “It’s better that we deal with the threat in front of us than run.”

“Even if we tried to sneak away they would just follow us,” Clara said. “If they really are part of Blackbeard’s fleet then there will be more ships. We should deal with the ship over there now so we don’t have to later.” None of the other girls tried to argue, although Zorah still looked unsure. When no one else spoke up Lucie went and told the pirates they will agree to meet.

“Be sure you’re there,” one of the pirates said before leaving the ship. Lucie couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh when both men disappeared. Being a girl in the world of men was already extremely nerve wracking. Now they were about to delve even deeper into it.

That night, the Lupis Maris left the docks and sailed over to the pirate ship. The new girls were all safely waiting in the crew’s cabin. They had agreed to stay there and wait until someone came to get them. To be prepared, Clara taught them some basic sword skills but it wouldn’t be enough to face a crew of pirates.

Once both ships were anchored right beside each other, pirates lowered a plank between them so that the three girls may board. They watched the pirates in tense silence. All of them were equally terrified yet as Lucie glanced at her friends she could see some of her own excitement reflected in their eyes. Clara gave her a small smile of encouragement.

“Just be carefull,” Zinaida warned and Lucie gave her a tense smile. “It will be just you in there.”

Taking a deep breath Lucie lead the way across the plank. She lifted her chin and tried to exert confidence she was not sure she had. It took all her willpower not to shrink away the way she use to in front of her family. It was like trying to bury one part of herself and replacing it with another that she was still not sure existed. Nevertheless, she put on a courteous smile as she hopped on board the pirate ship. Her friends were not far behind.

“Welcome aboard,” the captain gave Lucie an exaggerated bow. She curtsied while trying to hide her disgust. “I am the captain but you may just call me Smokey.” It was not hard to see why he had that nickname. There was a large pipe in his mouth. The smoke wreathed around him giving him a ghostly aura. The girls tried their best to look polite and not suffocate from the smoke.

“Thanks for the invitation,” Lucie smiled. “I am Lucie, captain of the Lupis Maris. You said you had a message from Blackbeard.”

“Aye, why don’t ye come with me and we’ll talk.” Smokey said.

“If you don’t mind,” Lucie said still trying to keep up her smile. “Zinaida and Clara here would like to become acquainted with your crew. We even brought up some rum to share.”

She pointed to the barrel sitting back on their deck. Lucie’s arms hurt just by thinking of the strain they went through to get the barrel up from the hold. All three of them had to work together to lift it. Even then they barely made it upstairs.

“That’s fine,” he waved at of few of his men and they brought the barrel over to his ship. He then motioned for Lucie to follow him below deck. Smokey lead her to his cabin where they sat across from each other at the small table. The captain studied her for a few minutes before speaking “You should know that Blackbeard is not happy that you took his ship.”

“That’s what the last captain of the Lupis Maris told me,” Lucie crossed her arms. “We figured Blackbeard would want to kill us.”

He smiled. “He doesn’t want to kill you. As long as you’re ship is among his fleet, he won’t mind if the captain is a girl.”

Lucie had to hold back a laugh despite the fact that she was still terrified. She found it hard to believe that any man would truly accept a female captain, much less a fourteen-year-old girl. “So he just want’s us where he can watch us,” she paraphrased. “That’s a little better than what we had before.”

“If you chose to become a part of Blackbeard’s fleet you can have all the money you could want,” the man tried to convince her but he was doing a terrible job, “and with that you can buy the most rare jewelry or the most beautiful dresses. You could have anything in the world.”

“We don’t need jewelry or dresses. All we need is each other. As long as we have that, we’re happy,” she argued flatly.

“Blackbeard will one day rule the sea,” Smokey leaned forward in his chair. “He can lead us to glory!”

“I don’t need this glory or to be an underling of the man who destroyed my town,” Lucie was already growing bored of the conversation so she stood up to leave, “Tell Blackbeard his offer sounds great but I refuse.”

“That’s unfortunate,” the pirate didn’t look very sad at all. “My orders were to take you back whether you wanted to come or not.”

Lucie ignored him as she opened the door. Two more pirates entered the cabin and moved straight towards her. She backed away from them and drew her sword. Her other hand pulled out a dagger from a hidden pocket inside her cloak. Even though she was better at wielding a sword now, Lucie knew that she was no match for two full grown men. Three, if the captain chose to fight as well. She just had to hope the poison on her dagger will do its work before then.

She rushed up to the first pirate. Stupidly, he hadn’t brought out his sword and tried to grab her with his bare hands. She used the flat of her blade to block one hand and her dagger to pierce the other. The pirate recoiled in shock and pain. This gave her the chance to turn and defend against the other one.

He was a smarter and attacked her with his sword drawn. She blocked him and used her dagger to attack. It scratched his arm but the pirate ignored it. He put pressure on his sword forcing Lucie back. She panicked as she tried to find a way under his guard. The first pirate tried to sneak up behind her but she moved to block him with her dagger. Her focus shifted giving the other one a chance to attack again. He shoved his sword through her shoulder forcing her to drop her weapons. With a scream of pain she collapsed to her knees. Blood flowed from the wound, soaking her dress.

The captain walked over and picked her up easily by her uninjured shoulder. He grinned, the joy of victory clearly showing on his face but that was before one of his pirates fainted. The man was still breathing but it was shallow and growing quieter by the second. The poison was finally doing it’s work. It was just a little too late for her to gloat. Lucie could already feel herself weakening and she realized she may not survive this.

“That was quite a show you put on, little miss.” Smokey, now visibly angry, yanked the sword out of her shoulder, tearing her wound open even more. She let out another small cry of pain. Her fingers clawed at his arm as she tried to struggle out of his grasp but she was quickly growing weaker. She heard the other pirate stumble forward to help his captain but he too fell unconscious. The poison was beginning to kill him as well.

“What did you do?” the captain tightened his grip. It hurt her shoulder but she didn’t cry out this time.

“The Pirates Demise,” Lucie whispered barely staying conscious. “It isn’t perfect yet,” she repeated Clara’s words from earlier this morning. She had warned Lucie and Zinaida not accidentally to cut themselves with the dagger because she had found no antidote for the poison, yet. “It works quickly but not quick enough,” Lucie muttered to herself. She didn’t want to die. Not in this man’s filthy cabin.

Suddenly the door behind her swung open and Smokey dropped her in surprise. She slumped to the floor like a rag doll. All she heard was the captain yell before everything went black.

Zinaida was kind of excited. She enjoyed taking risks and doing things like this.

She wondered if she's crazy, often times, because she really shouldn't love fighting and violence, let alone be good at it. Her father would strongly disapprove. While she missed her family, she couldn't ever really summon those same feelings for her father. She was glad to be free of his control.

She shook her head slightly to clear it. She had other things to think about.

Together, the three of them heaved the barrel of poisoned rum up. It was incredibly heavy and she internally cursed her skinny arms. Sword fighting had given her muscle there, but not as much as she'd like. When they finally made it to the top deck, she rubbed her now sore arms.

"I wish this wasn’t so heavy!” she complained with a frown.

"Don't we all," Clara replied.

Lucie stayed quiet, no doubt thinking about what was to come. Zinaida nudged her arm to get her attention.

"What is it?" Lucie asked, looking at her.

"This is our first time taking on the pirates like this," she commented. "Just be careful, okay? We won't be in the room to back you up."

Lucie just nodded and crossed the plank. Zinaida and Clara followed closely behind.

"Welcome aboard," the pirate announced with a bow. Zinaida kept her face completely neutral as she curtsied, even though she wanted nothing more than to stick her dagger into his heart and end it all there. Of course, that wouldn't work, but she couldn't help but toy with the idea. "I am the captain but you may just call me Smokey." She bit her lip as she inhaled some of his smoke from the pipe.

"Thanks for the invitation," Lucie replied. "I am Lucie, captain of the Lupis Maris. You said you had a message from Blackbeard."

"Aye, why don't ye come with me and we'll talk," he said cheerfully.

"If you don't mind, Zinaida and Clara would like to get acquainted with your crew. We even brought up some rum to share," Lucie said as Zinaida smiled. She used to have to smile at anybody her father wanted her to, and she knew she was good at seeming like the perfect daughter; kind and respectful.

"That's fine," the pirate said with a wave of his hand.

Zinaida didn't need any other motivation to move. Her smile widened as she walked over to the pirates as gracefully as she could.

"Hello," she greeted with Clara by her side. "Would any of you gentlemen like some rum? I'm afraid we don't have much use for it," she said to the band of smelly men.

"From a lovely lady like you, of course. Why don't you go pour up some rounds for us men?" One of them asked, smiling at Zinaida.

She bit back her tongue and hid it with another well practiced smile. "Of course," she said.

Clara and her both moved to the barrel of rum on their own ship and began filling mugs and cups. Zinaida quickly was beginning to fall into a character. It's like she could easily mold into what they wanted her to be with just a little manipulation. She took the mugs back to them and passed them out.

"Come here, you pretty thing," one of them cooed to her. She was positive he was already drunk; probably from whatever they were drinking before she showed up with Lucie and Clara.

She swept some of her blonde hair out of her face and smiled. "Here's another one," she said, carefully moving away from him. The temptation of more alcohol was too great, so he went for it instead.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Clara doing the same thing. Their plan was working, and she was starting to feel giddy. None of them caught on.

"Why don't you men have a drinking competition?" she suggested, moving to stand by Clara again.

The dark haired girl decided to go with what Zinaida started. "Who's the best drinker on the ship?"

Instantly it became rowdy. All the men began to talk over each other. Some of them began downing their drinks like they hadn't had anything to drink in days.

Soon, they all began to collapse, one by one. The ruckus stopped, and it was just the quiet of the night air. Zinaida stared down at the bodies littered on the ground and wondered why she didn’t feel anything a normal girl should feel. She wasn’t scared, or nervous, or upset. She wasn’t crying or screaming, and she certainly wasn’t running away.

Okay, she’s definitely insane.

"Let's go check on Lucie," Clara said, tugging her arm and pulling her from her thoughts. She followed the other girl down the deck, keeping her senses sharp and alert. Especially behind her.

She immediately saw the blood when Clara pushed open another door. Normally, this wouldn't alarm her. She has been the source of quite a bit of bloodshed by now. She didn’t have the time to waste, though. Smokey lunged at her, nearly grazing her neck with his blade. She ducked and acknowledged Clara rushing to Lucie’s side.

She wasted no time in meeting his sword to block his next hit. Fighting like this empowered her. Swordplay brought out a vicious side to her… she became unrelentless and deadly. Within a few seconds, she plunged her sword into his chest, effectively ending his life.

With a vacant face, she turned her attention back to Lucie and Clara. “What happened to her?” All she could see was blood.

“He stabbed her shoulder. Come on, hurry. You’re stronger, so you carry her,” the dark haired girl said. Zinaida sheathed her sword and bent down to lift Lucie. Even though she loved the dress, her best friend was far more important. She put her arms under her knees and one supporting her back and lifted her. Maybe Zinaida was just strong, but Lucie seemed too light. It was strange.

She didn’t struggle carrying her. Not even as she followed Clara across the thin wooden plank. It dipped and creaked with their combined weight, but other than that, no issues occurred. Clara went on ahead, probably rushing to grab supplies.

Zinaida figured setting Lucie down on the deck was the best option. This way, no blood would stain their bedding. She set her down gently and moved her long braided hair out of the way. Clara soon came back with a bottle of something resembling the smell of rum and bandages. Zinaida moved out of her way, letting her work.

Zinaida knew from her brother’s childhood injury that the shoulder wound itself wasn’t the concern. It was the possibility of infection that they had to worry about. She nibbled on her lower lip and swallowed nervously. She was more nervous than she’d like to admit. Lucie was her best friend. Now her life hung in the balance.

She moved further away and looked at cloudy sky above. The sky always calmed her down anytime she was anxious. The sky also fascinated her. It was expressive. Cloudy, sunny, stormy, morning, afternoon, evening, night. They each had their own expression.

Zinaida suddenly felt very drained from the fight. She laid down on the deck and cushioned her head with her arms. The black murkiness of the sky above reflected her anxiety about Lucie’s wound. Her eyes fell closed after a while and she slept like the dead.


	8. No Regrets

When she woke up, she woke to Clara looming over her. “Thank the gods, you’re okay. You had me worried!” she said, worry in her tone. 

“Why were you worried?” she asked sleepily as she stretched and sat up.

“Who falls asleep on the deck?” she replied, an eyebrow raised.

“Lucie does it all the time!” Zinaida answered, shaking her head side to side. “Anyway, how is she?”

Clara looked a little grim, and she didn’t like what that meant. “She needs a doctor. There’s only so much I can do,” she mumbled. “I don’t know how to control the ship, either.” Clara stood up and turned her back to Zinaida. 

She groggily stood up. Maybe a little too quickly, seeing as her head was spinning. “I”ll figure it out,” she mumbled as she recovered from dizziness. “I am the first mate, after all. I should know how to do this, too.”

The Lupis Maris always seemed strange to Zinaida. Lucie didn’t seem to think anything was weird or unsettling about the ship, but Zinaida did. It was a mystery the older girl was curious about. How did it work? Why a wolf? Questions like those often invaded her thoughts; sometimes her dreams. But right now, she needed to cooperate with the ship to help Lucie. 

Alone on the deck, she couldn’t help but glance up at the wolf masthead. More often than not, Lucie could be found resting on the masthead. It wasn’t even the tallest point of the ship yet she always claimed to prefer the view from there than the crow’s nest. With a small sigh, Zinaida walked over to the forecastle. Maybe she could figure out something from there. She positioned herself by the wolf, the way she had often seen Lucie, but there was still nothing.

“You couldn’t have left some sort of instructions,” Zinaida complained. 

Defeated, she slumped against the masthead. If they didn’t move soon, Lucie may not live much longer. Absentmindedly, she began to pet the wolf’s fur. Although she had no idea what to do it was not in her to just give up. They needed to sail back to port but how?

“Where do you wish to go?” Zinaida jumped away from the masthead and unsheathed her sword. There was no one besides her on the deck but she didn’t relax.

“Who’s there?” she said.

“I’m right here,” the voice seemed to come from inside her head yet from behind her at the same time. Sword still drawn, she turned to find the voice. What she saw made her gasp. The masthead was no longer wooden. The fur was now very real and it was tipping its head at an odd angle, trying to look at her. Zinaida finally realized exactly what Lucie had been telling her about this ship. The reason why it moved itself. “Don’t be frightened,” the wolf said but Zinaida found it impossible to calm down with the wolf staring straight at her. “I won’t eat you.”

“Who are you?” she managed to ask the wolf, her voice strained.

“I have no name but you’re captain calls me Lupis so you may if you like.” The wolf’s ear twitched with impatience. “We have no time for introductions. Your captain is dying and even I don’t want that. I only move on her orders but seeing as she is currently incapable of giving them I will allow you to decide our destination. Now, where do you wish to go?”

At the mention of Lucie, Zinaida forgot her fear. “Take us back to the nearest port,” she commanded. “We’ll find a doctor there.”

“That wasn’t so hard,” the wolf said before hardening back into wood. The ship spurred into action. The ropes untied themselves, allowing the sails to catch the wind.  
Zinaida wanted to say more, but she couldn’t find the words. The Lupis Maris left a strange feeling inside her. She didn’t like the way the wolf treated her as inferior to Lucie, but she also didn’t want to anger Lupis. She settled for holding back her tongue this time and left the masthead. 

She had more important things to focus on. With a huff of annoyance, she went to the kitchen to go find Clara. Unfortunately, the room was empty. She grabbed an apple from the pantry and wandered down the hall towards Lucie’s quarters. 

She didn’t really want to see Lucie, though. The image of her bleeding and unconscious was etched into her mind already. She didn’t want it to become permanent. Was that childish of her? Maybe it was. She didn’t care. So when she reached the door to her best friend’s room, her hand lingered on the door knob. With a moment of thought, she turned around and went to her own quarters.

It was too quiet inside. Normally, the three of them were always around each other. The nearly silent noises of eating or walking or even breathing were so subtle, she forgot they were there. That is, until they were no longer there. Now the silence was too heavy. 

She couldn’t sit still. She needed to do something. Abruptly, she stood up with the uneaten apple in hand. Zinaida set it down on her side table and walked back out towards the deck. There, she practiced with her sword. She quickly grew bored of it, though. Her attention span could be so short sometimes. 

A sigh escaped her lips as she looked down at the blade in her hand. By now, she was skilled. The sword felt like a natural extension of her. It felt right. 

Even though she knew practicing was important, she honestly didn’t feel like it. There was no challenge without an opponent. She bit her lower lip and decided to try something different.

She moved the sword to her left hand. It felt way heavier than before, but not entirely wrong. As a matter of fact, it was a challenge. She loved challenges because of the way it felt to overcome them.

At first, she felt awkward and clumsy, but as she mimicked the movements she usually made with her right, she began to feel more adequate. One of her strongest beliefs was that if you work hard, you will overcome any challenge. 

She began to move quicker and more comfortably with the sword in her left. It still felt heavy and her arms were starting to feel sore, but she didn’t stop. She persevered for a few hours, and then realized that she should do two things: eat something and check up on Lucie. 

Zinaida sheathed her sword and went back to the kitchen. She drank some water and began to chop potatoes. She put them in a pot of water over the flame. Her eyes watched the fire as it flickered from side to side. Fires always brought out a flurry of emotions inside her. 

She loved the heat it gave off and the vibrant colors, but they also reminded her of the moment she lost everything.

Well, everything except her best friend. She tore her eyes from the fire and went down the hall. As long as she didn’t leave the flame for long, they’d be fine. Besides, she didn’t think something like a fire would do harm to the ship. Not with that mysterious wolf around, anyway.

When she entered, she noticed Clara asleep in a chair. She must have stayed up all night keeping watch over Lucie. Zinaida felt a little guilty because she probably should have been the one to do it. She couldn’t change the past, though, so it didn’t matter.

Lucie looked a little too pale. Her fingers had the undertones of blue and purple. Even though Zinaida knew it was just because she lost a lot of blood, she didn’t like it. With a frown on her face, she grabbed an extra blanket and draped it over her. 

She tapped Clara’s shoulder to wake her. Sleeping like that would cause a kink in her neck.

“What?” she grumbled, voice hoarse from sleep.

“Go to bed. If my guess is correct, we’ll be at port in a few hours. I’ll keep an eye on Lucie until then. You get some sleep,” she replied, trying to do something nice for her friend. 

Clara simply nodded and stood up sleepily to go to her room. Zinaida took her place in the chair next to Lucie’s bed. After a while, she went back out and mashed the potatoes. They would be plain and flavorless, but it was better than nothing and she was sick of apples. 

She scooped some into her bowl and took it back with her into Lucie’s room. She hated sitting still for too long, but this was something she needed to do. Lucie couldn’t be left unattended for too long. She finished eating her potatoes and began to clean her sword. It hadn’t been used lately for anything other than practice, but she had nothing else to do.

After a while, she decided to try and give Lucie some water. It seemed logical, though she didn’t know if she needed to or not. She went to the kitchen to grab a spoon and a mug of water. When she returned with both, she scooped a little at a time and brought it to Lucie’s lips.

Zinaida wondered if she was imagining things, because Lucie already was starting to look a little better. By the time the mug was empty, Lucie didn’t look like she was at death’s door. 

Shaking her head, Zinaida stood to take the items back to the kitchen.

“We’re here.”

She jumped and dropped the mug with the spoon inside to the ground. Lupis’s voice was creepy enough, but the whole in-your-head thing was not something she would ever get used to. 

“Got it,” she mumbled aloud unnecessarily. 

She picked the items up and exited the room. First, she put them away. After that, she went to her room to change. Her dress was likely covered in blood from last night. When she stripped off her dress, though, she was surprised to see no blood. 

She picked it up out of curiosity, wondering if she just missed it. But there wasn’t anything to miss because it wasn’t there. Not a single drop of reddish brown could be seen in the blue fabric. She looked all around it. It had to be there. She knew she wiped blood onto it.

Puzzled, she debated whether or not to put it back on. In the end, she decided against it. It was a rather unique dress. If she was going to get a doctor to help, she would need to blend in. She grabbed her only other dress and moved to wake up Clara. 

Together, they wandered around town until they found the local doctor.

“Please help,” Zinaida cried, fake tears running down her cheeks. She knew how to act like a helpless girl. The kind of person anyone would want to help. “My friend… she was attacked by a pirate! Her shoulder was bleeding,” she said, gently grabbing the doctor’s hand.

Clara went along with it, but didn’t cry. “Please! Our fathers sent us to find someone who can help,” she said desperately. “You’re the only one we can find!”

“Alright, alright. Where is your friend?” the doctor asked uncomfortably.

“She’s back on the ship. Neither of us are strong enough to carry her, and the men had to go take the pirates they captured to the prison,” Zinaida lied easily, wiping her cheeks. She didn’t know why it was so easy for her to lie and do things she wouldn’t normally do, but it was terribly convenient right now. 

“Okay, you lead the way, miss,” the doctor said with a sympathetic smile.

They waited for the doctor to grab his tools before heading out. Zinaida kept the sadness on her face, displaying an emotion she didn’t feel as connected to as she should. She wiped her cheeks and sniffled as she quickened her pace. Clara beside her did the same. Soon, they arrived onto the deck of the Lupis Maris.

She let Clara lead the doctor down the hall and she moved behind. If he put two and two together, she’d need to keep him in the room until he finished working on Lucie. The doctor, completely unaware, just blindly went along with their plan. 

He bent over her and placed a hand to her forehead. “She appears to be stable. Tell me, what have you already done for her?” 

“I cleansed the wound with rum and bandaged it. It stopped bleeding relatively quick, but… we’re concerned. Our fathers didn’t know what to do,” Clara answered, forehead scrunching. 

Even Zinaida had to admit that Lucie looked much better than before. The doctor pulled back the bandages Clara put on from last night. The wound looked much smaller than before. “This doesn’t look too bad,” the doctor commented. “I don’t think I’ll have to cauterize it. Just keep it clean, and she should be alright…” 

Zinaida frowned but nodded at the doctor. “Thank you,” she said graciously. Clara echoed her but showed the doctor out. Zinaida looked down at Lucie, deep in thought. This didn’t add up. Just last night, she was bleeding everywhere… and there definitely was blood on her dress. 

But now Lucie was for the most part healed, and not a single drop of blood stained either her dress or Lucie’s. 

Something clearly was in the works… something she couldn’t put her finger on.

 

Lucie opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Trying collect her thoughts. It took her a few seconds to realize she wasn’t dead but lying in her cabin. Clara and Zinaida were in the room but they were too busy talking to each other to notice her.

She didn’t try to bring attention to herself as she stared out the window. The sun was beginning to set. Spreading beautiful reds and oranges across the sky. Bathing the town beneath with the bright colors. The colors seemed to bring her out of the daze. Her heart began to race yet she was relieved. She was still alive.

“Good evening,” Lucie whispered. Her voice was hoarse and she wondered when was the last time she had any water.

“Look who’s back with the living,” Zinaida said at the same time Clara asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Horrible,” she sat up in the cot, gingerly testing her stiff shoulder. It hurt but not as much as she would have expected. “How long have I been out?”

“Two days.” Zinaida frowned. “You sure had us worried.”

“Sorry?” she muttered.

“You need rest. Go get some sleep.”

“I’ve slept for long enough. I need to get up.” Lucie glared at Zinaida, she hated staying in bed for too long. She tried to slide out of bed but Zinaida stopped her.

“You need to rest.” They glared at each other stubbornly neither backing down.

Clara cleared her throat, “I’m going to grab you some food.” When neither girl responded she left. Their staring contest only lasted for a few seconds longer until Zinaida sighed.

“Fine,” Lucie was the only person who could ever get her to back down. “But you’re only going as far as the parlor.”

She shrugged and slid out of bed. The room started spinning as soon as her feet hit the floor and she would have collapsed if her friend hadn’t been there to catch her. Zinaida threw Lucie’s cloak around her shoulders before she helped her out into the parlor.

Zorah and Elizabeth were on the couch, deep in conversation. Martina sat in one of the chairs, cleaning her sword. They all looked up as Lucie entered the room. None of them seemed to know what to say as Zinaida helped Lucie into one of the nearest chairs.

“Are you okay?” Elizabeth asked after a while.

“It hurts but I’ll live,” Lucie grimaced.

“Why would you put yourself in danger like that?” Zorah asked. “If the pirate had aimed any better you could have been dead.”

“We needed to know what Blackbeard wants,” Lucie smiled. “We needed to know why he hasn’t com to kill us.”

“What does he want?” Clara entered the room holding a tray of food. She set it on Lucie’s lap.

“He want’s us alive,” she took a sip of water. Truly feeling how parched her mouth was. “He offered us a place among his fleet.”

Zinaida crossed her arms. “Why would he offer something like that to us? It doesn’t make sense.”

Lucie shrugged, “Smokey didn’t elaborate and he was really annoying.” She began to eat her food.

“We already spent enough time among his men. I don’t want to go back,” Clara said. “We are nothing in their eyes.”

“We won’t be going back,” Lucie stated firmly before taking another mouthful.

“Smokey won’t be the end of it though,” Zinaida sighed. “After this he’s going to start getting angry.”

Martina glanced at the three of them, “What will you do if he comes after you with his whole fleet?” Zorah and Elizabeth looked at their friend and then at Lucie, waiting for her response.

“We fight until the end,” she said.

Zorah looked at her doubtfully, “That’s a lot of pirates. It would be suicide.”

“But it’s worth the freedom,” Lucie took a sip of her water and then smiled. “Because of this ship I finally have freedom and I can also give this freedom to others. I won’t give it up even if it costs me my life.” Zinaida and Clara nodded in agreement but the other three girls didn’t seem to quite understand.

“Wouldn’t it all be a waste if you just died in the end?” Zorah said.

“No,” Clara shook her head. “It means we died without any regrets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have to give thanks to MasquedAngel for writing the part in Zinaida's point of view. It helps to add character to the story. She has also helped me so much with this story so far. Without her it would not be nearly as good as it is.


	9. Missing Friends

Lucie’s sword pierced the heart of the last pirate. Killing him almost instantly. Of course the poison helped. Ever since their first attack when Lucie had been injured, Clara had worked hard the make her poison more fatal. She was still working on an antidote, just to be safe, and she claimed it was close to completion.

Lucie’s shoulder had long healed and ever since she had been working with Zinaida to strengthen her technique. It had been months since they took down Smokey’s ship but they had been even more careful to prevent any injuries. They had taken down many pirate ships this way with only scratches.

“It gets easier every time,” Clara sighed. “We didn’t even have Zinaida’s help tonight.”

Lucie nodded in agreement, “It doesn’t seem like this one was part of Blackbeard’s fleet either. ” 

“We haven’t heard much of Blackbeard since Smokey,” Clara said. “He’s being a little too quiet.”

“I don’t like it,” she agreed.

“Lucie!” Ember, one of the newest members, came running up the ship towards them. She was an orphan, barely nine years old. Her wavy red hair had fallen out of the twin braids Zinaida had so carefully done that morning. Her dress was one of the ones from the secret room in the hold. The top was a beautiful gold color that slowly faded to an orange at her skirt. The golden cloak hung a little askew on her shoulders. “I did it! Did you see me?”

Lucie smiled when she looked at the hopeful green eyes of the younger girl. “You did great,” she praised. The little girl smiled happily and turned to Cecile, who was only a year older.

“We showed those pirates, didn’t we?” she said to her friend.

“We did,” Cecile agreed. Her black hair had also fallen out of its own braid and Lucie made a mental note to tell Zinaida to tie the ribbons tighter next time. Her eyes were a cloudy gray which seemed like an odd match with her freckled face. Beneath her dark green cloak she wore a plain bright green dress with darker green lace. 

In the few weeks that she had been on the ship, Cecile had managed to befriend everyone. Including Elizabeth who was usually extremely shy around new people.

It was Zinaida that had found the two girls during a pirate attack. Both of their parents had already been killed so she took them back to the ship where she and Lucie tried their best to comfort the young girls. They allowed them to stay and be a part of the crew. It took a while for Clara to agree to teach them swordplay though.

Martina and Elizabeth appeared from below deck. “It’s all clear downstairs,” Martina reported.

“Then let’s go.” Lucie turned and waved for the others to follow. “I don’t want to linger for too long.”

The small group of girls headed back to the ship. As soon as everyone was onboard the Lupis Maris slid away from the pirate ship and headed back to port. Everyone was anxious to get out of the winter wind so they all hurried below deck. Lucie and Clara worked together to start a fire in the parlor while the rest of the girl’s prepared for bed.

“The longer it takes for Blackbeard to make his move, the more nervous I get,” Clara said.

“I know what you mean,” Lucie agreed. “I’m always expecting him to jump out somewhere but he never shows. That’s why I made Zinaida take Zorah with her.”

Clara sighed, “Not only do we have to deal with pirates but those rumors too.” She added a more wood to the fire and stood back as if to admire her work. Lucie sat on one of the chairs and gazed at the fire as it ate up the wood.

“Those rumors are exactly what we were trying to avoid,” she said. “Not only will there be pirates after us but soon the British Navy will be driving us out of every port around England.”

“Let’s hope Zinaida found a way to turn them around.” Clara took a seat on the sofa. “It would be best if we could resolve this quickly.”

“Our main goal must be to survive but that doesn’t mean I will surrender this ship or our freedom to anyone,” Lucie said.

“We worked too hard to get here,” Clara yawned and stood up to head back to her room. “We won’t surrender anything to those pirates or the British Navy.”

“I’m sure Zinaida thinks the same,” Lucie smiled. She stood up from her chair. The girls said a quick goodnight before heading off to their rooms.

 

When the crew woke up that morning, Zorah and Zinaida had not returned to the ship. Everyone in the crew, including Lucie, was getting nervous about their missing friends. She split everyone into groups of two. Martina and Ember were to search the shopping district and streets nearby. Elizabeth and Cecile were to search the streets near the docks. Lucie and Clara teamed up to search any remaining areas. They agreed to meet back at the ship around dinner if their friends were not found.

Everyone spent all day searching any place they could think of. Trying to trace a path Zinaida might take. Lucie even described her friend to a few passerby’s in hope to gather some information but to no avail. A few times they ran into the other girls but no one had found anything substantial.

That night, Lucie and Clara were the first back to the ship. Clara went downstairs to cook some dinner while Lucie climbed up on the masthead to wait for the others to come back. An hour passed and no one showed up. The two girls ate their dinner in silence waiting to hear the footsteps of their friends coming down the stairs. 

Another hour passed and the nervous knot in Lucie’s stomach tightened. They decided to head back upstairs and search for the rest of the crew. Something was obviously wrong.  
Unfortunately, as soon as Lucie opened the door to the top deck she found herself face to face with a soldier. He looked a little stupid with the shocked expression on his face and his hand raised to knock on the door. The other soldiers shifted nervously behind him when they saw Lucie at the door.

“What do you want?” she snapped, making a few of the soldiers jump. Clara stood calmly beside her in the doorway, quietly taking in their unexpected visitors. Lucie couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed at Lupis. The wolf had deemed it necessary to warn her about the pirates who were only there to give a message but not about the soldiers who were most likely there to imprison her.

“We are have a warrant for your arrest.” the first soldier spoke. “Come with us quietly and we won’t have the need to use force.” 

Clara crossed her arms and glared at the pirates. Lucie became even more annoyed. She didn’t have the patience for these men so she gave the word to Lupis and the ropes came to life. The soldiers looked even more stupid when they found themselves hanging from the mast with their swords uselessly lying on the deck below.

“Since you’re here to arrest me I bet you know where my friends are.” Lucie said. “Tell me and I might let you leave here alive.”

“I’ll never tell you filthy pirates anything.” the leader spat. She was partially glad it was dark so she could not see the men’s faces clearly. 

“So we’ve gone from innocent little girls all they way to filthy pirates,” she sighed.

“How sad,” Clara agreed.

“I can tell you where they are,” someone called from the edge of the ship. Two girls stepped into the light of one of nearby lanterns. Sisters by the look of it. They both had the  
same dark curly hair and brown skin. Their brown eyes reflected the lantern light not far away “Although I’m positive these weak-willed soldiers would tell eventually, I can give you the information much sooner.”

“And what would you like in exchange?” Lucie asked.

“Only to be a part of your crew,” the younger girl said.

“My sister and I no longer have any family or a home to return to. We were hoping you would let us be apart of your crew,” the older sister was playing with her sleeves nervously.

“Joining us might be equal to signing up for your death,” Clara warned. “Do you still want to?”

“We have nowhere else to go. We may end up dead either way,” the younger sister shrugged.

“Then feel free to come along,” Lucie said. “I am Lucie, the captain and this is Clara, our cook.”

“My name is Rose,” the older sister said, “and this is my little sister Olive.”

“Nice to meet you.” Olive said.

“Since you say you know where our friends are I guess we have no more need for these soldiers.” Lucie smiled.

“What will you do with them?” Rose asked.

“Throw them into the ocean,” she told Lupis. They heard a chorus of screams from the soldiers as they fell into the ocean. Then she turned back to Rose. “And now you will lead us to our friends.”

 

It took about thirty minutes for them to reach their destination. It was a prison on the edge of town where Lucie would not have thought to look. It was at the end of the road separated from the other buildings by trees. It seemed fairly quiet inside and she wondered if it was because most of the soldiers were in town searching for them.  
The four girls snuck up to a window to peek inside. There were two soldiers standing guard by the door so they had to be extra careful not to be seen. Three other soldiers were patrolling around the prison cells inside while the warden leaned against one of the walls playing with the keys in his hand.

“Six men total,” Clara counted. “Are you sure we can take them all?”

“Do you girls know how to fight?” Lucie asked Rose and Olive.

They both pulled daggers out from their dresses. “We can take care of ourselves.”

“You two will be a diversion,” she told them. “I want you to attract as many of the guards as you can and lead them away from here. Can you do it?”

“You bet we can,” Olive smiled.

“Then Clara and I will take care of the rest of the soldiers.” Lucie said. “We’ll all meet back at the ship when we’re done.” Rose and Olive nodded to say they agreed. They snuck out of the bushes and stood in front of the entrance.

“Those soldiers a pretty lame.” Olive called. “The can’t even capture the whole crew.”

“What are they going to do when they come across some real pirates?” Rose taunted. Lucie could see the guards become angry at the girl’s.

“They will all end up in the gutter as dinner for the rats!”

“Chase them!” the warden ordered. “Don’t let either of those girls get away.”

Three of the guards went to chase after Rose and Olive who were still taunting them. Lucie and Clara waited until the voices of the guards faded before peeking back through the window. The warden was no longer leaning against the wall but pacing the hallway. He told one of the other soldiers to guard the now vacant entrance. 

Lucie and Clara glanced at each other. If they moved carefully they could easily take these guards. The two girls nodded at each other and Clara tiptoed along the wall until she was nearly behind the soldier. In one swift movement she used her sword to slam the hilt to the back of his head. Effectively knocking him out but not killing him. Lucie ran up and helped Clara situate him so he was sitting against the wall.

They took positions by the entrance and watched as the warden and the remaining soldier paced between the cells. With only two left they didn’t need to sneak anymore so she stepped out into the open. Clara followed her out until they were in full view of both men.

“I heard this is where I can find my friends,” she said loudly. The soldier swore at them with words she knew he would never use in front of, what they would call, a proper lady.  
The warden paused and sized them up before speaking. “I’m surprised you found this place but how do you plan to free your little friends,” he sneered.

Lucie laughed. She drew her sword and threw herself at the warden while Clara faced the other soldier. As she predicted he dodged to the side but she wasn’t aiming for him. Her fingers closed around the cold keys that hung at his side. She felt the thrill of success as she danced out of the wardens reach. Even more than that, she loved the look on the warden's face when he noticed she had the keys.

He began to swear as he tried to chase Lucie through the prison. She giggled and ran into an empty cell. The warden smiled thinking he trapped her but she was easily able to duck out of his reach. She ran out of the door and slammed it behind her quickly locking it with the key. 

“Have a nice night,” she told him.

The warden yelled more insults at her but she ignored him and glanced back at Clara. She had the other soldier backed into a corner with his sword in her hand. Their eyes connected for a moment and Clara nodded at Lucie, telling her to go find the other girls. Lucie nodded back and began to slowly search the cells for her friends.

All the other prisoners were now clamoring for her attention. She ignored them as she walked down the hallway. Heading closer and closer towards the back. Despite what Olive and Rose had told her, a small part of Lucie feared that maybe the girls weren’t really here. As there became less and less cells between her and the end the anxious feeling grew stronger. Finally, in one of the last few she found them.

“Lucie!” came the high-pitched squeal of Ember as she ran straight towards the door. All the other girls followed with barely contained excitement. They crowded round the door and waited for her to unlock it.

“We thought you would never find us!” Zorah exclaimed. Lucie smiled as she glanced over her crew but it quickly disappeared.

“Where’s Zinaida?” she asked.

“She’s not with you?” Zorah said. Lucie shook her head. Clara approached them with a bunch of swords in her arms and a handful of daggers.

“The soldiers are returning, we must leave,” she said while passing the weapons out to their friends.

“We can’t leave yet,” Cecile cut in. She pointed to a cell across from them where another bunch of girls were standing and watching them. “There’s another cell full of innocent girls they captured. We should free them as well.”

Lucie walked up to the door and unlocked it. “You girls can either choose to stay in the city or come with us to our ship,” she told them while opening the door, “but stay with us until we get out of the prison so we can make sure you leave here alive.”

“And how do you know you can get us out of here,” one of the girls stepped forward. “The soldiers are already here, we might live longer if we stay.”

At the front door, the shouts of the soldiers told them that they had found the unconscious guard. The warden began yelling commands to his soldiers from his own cell but none of the girls could hear what they were saying. Lucie looked at her crew. They all had their swords out and ready.

She looked at Clara, “What did you do with the soldier?”

“I knocked him out then tied him up,” she replied.

Lucie pulled out her sword and dagger. “Then let’s go.”

They met the soldiers in the middle of the prison. The prisoners around them were still clamoring for their attention but they might as well have been the wind for all Lucie cared. The crew made sure to block the hallway so the soldiers could not pass. All the other girls stayed behind and watched from a safe distance.

One of the soldiers glared at her, “Give us the keys little girl.”

“I refuse,” Lucie stated bluntly.

“Give them to us or we will use force.” the soldier threatened, he unsheathed his sword. Lucie counted the soldiers that would face them. The crew was horribly outnumbered. At best it would be two-on-one but that won’t matter. They were use to worse odds.

“Then fight us,” she taunted, “and maybe I’ll let you have the keys.”

There was an uneasy grumbling among the men. Even though they weren’t give a choice, none of them were eager to fight girl’s. The prisoners on either side roared, eager for a fight. Of course they mostly cheered for the soldiers. No one really thought the girls could win. Which of course they were very wrong.

Lucie decided to stop waiting for the soldiers to make the first move. She charged forward and drove her dagger into the stomach of the nearest soldier. Chaos exploded as both sides rushed forward. The soldier in front of her fell to his knees. In less than a minute he would be dead.

The next soldier who stepped forward to attack lasted longer. They dueled only until Lucie dove beneath his guard and cut his leg with her dagger. He grinned at her futile effort but he had no idea that she now only had to play with him until the poison kicked in.

Once he was finished, Lucie turned around and helped Cecile with her opponent. She exchanged blows with the soldier while Cecile dove beneath their blades and cut him with her weapons. It didn’t take long before he was out as well. 

One by one each soldier fell until the ground was soaked in their blood. If they hadn’t hesitated the girls would not have won the fight. The prison was silent as the crew wiped their weapons on their already soiled clothes. The prisoners seemed unsure of what to think of the sight before them. The girls that Lucie had just freed slowly approached them.

“How…?” one of them began but she couldn’t seem to finish her sentence.

“Pirates are harder to kill,” Lucie said. She dropped the keys by the body of one of the soldiers and then turned to walk down the hallway. “Follow us, stay here in the prison or disappear into the city. It’s your choice,” she called without looking back.

 

At the docks, Rose and Olive were already waiting for them. They raised their eyebrows a little at the blood on some of the girls’ clothing but didn’t comment. Instead Olive pointed silently over at the ship where someone was waiting for them. From what she could tell it was a male. It was too dark to see anything else so Lucie couldn’t tell whether he was a soldier or not.

Without speaking she moved towards the figure. All the other girls followed but the new girls they freed from the prison hesitated. She didn’t draw her sword but kept a hand on the hilt. Once she was close enough to see him, she could tell he was a pirate. It was the familiar sneer and degrading look that gave him away. In his hand he held a sword, still sheathed but her heart jumped when she recognized it.

“Why do you have that?” Lucie demanded.

“Blackbeard told me to give this to you,” he said. “Along with a message.”

Lucie crossed her arms, “And what does he want?”

The pirate grinned and handed her the sword, “He says if you want your friend back you need to meet him back at your hometown. Be there before the end of the month or you will never see her again.”

Without waiting for an answer, he walked away and Lucie silently watched him go. She gripped Zinaida’s sword so tightly her knuckles turned white. Clara put a hand on Lucie’s shoulder for comfort but she could also see the anger reflected in the girl’s eyes and in the rest of the crew. All the new girls stared at them in confusion but no one was in the mood to offer an explanation.

“Let’s go ahead and prepare for bed,” Lucie said after the pirate disappeared. “We’ll talk in the morning.”


	10. Unexpected Encounter

Zinaida leaned back against the wall studying her guard from the corner of her eye. She ran through her options again. If she really wanted to, she could sit still and let Blackbeard use her as a bargaining chip so he could take the Lupis Maris, their only freedom, away. She couldn’t let that happen and Zinaida hated sitting still. She was not one who could give up easily so there really was only one option: fight her way out. 

"May I have some water?" Zinaida asked the pirate in a sing-voice. 

He took something from his belt and walked over to hand it to her. "How about some rum?"

Zinaida wouldn’t mind being a little tipsy right now, but if she was going to escape, she couldn’t afford the buzz and besides, she needed him to actually leave the room for a moment. “Of course not, you filthy pirate,” she said with a grimace. “I’m not going to drink that vulgar drink!” 

“Testy, testy. You’re not very becoming of a woman,” he said with narrowed eyes.

She held her tongue from insulting him again. “Fine, may I please have some water, sir?” she asked nicely. 

With a smug grin, the pirate walked out of the room. Quickly, while he was gone, she reached through the bars at some rope lying outside her cell. She had to lean into the bars and stretch to reach it, but she pulled it through the bars with haste. 

Only seconds after she had the foot long rope, he came back with a canteen of water and handed it to her. She took a small sip. It didn't taste bad, thankfully. She drank more but still kept a close watch on her guard. 

He leaned against the bars of her cell with his back to her, just like he had before she requested water. Zinaida glanced at the key ring on his belt. She could easily pull that through the bars, but then she would still have the pirate to deal with. Without her sword, it would not end well. Her best shot was to use the rope she acquired to strangle him. 

Immediately putting her plan into action, she silently snuck up to the bars where the pirate was still standing and was ever thankful that this pirate was short. She thrust her arm through the bars and around his neck. Before he could react much, she already had the other end of the rope in her hands. She twist the rope together as he struggled and choked. Holding on tight, she realized just how much stronger she had gotten since she began her time on the Lupis Maris, but she still needed to lean a back and put all her weight into her arm to completely strangle the man.

The pirate struggled to free himself from her grip but Zinaida was stronger than he expected. The pirate tried to grab his sword but missed and grabbed the keys. She tightened her grip until he became limp and she confirmed he was dead, then she released the man. As he slumped to the floor she wasted no time to swipe his keys.

It didn’t take her long to find the key to her cell. Upon opening the she felt an overwhelming sense of freedom. That is until loud voices rushed down from the stairs. Zinaida cursed as she realized the pirate made too much noise in his struggle. She wasted no time in grabbing the dead pirates sword and hid behind the door just in time for a group of pirates to come flying through. Before they noticed her hiding place she ran out into the hallway and locked the door behind her.

"That teaches you to mess with me!" Zinaida taunted at the door. Before running upstairs, she carefully placed the key ring around the handle, feeling that she would have no more need for it.

On the next floor, she ran into another pirate strolling down the hall. Before he had a chance to realize what was going on Zinaida stabbed her stolen sword into his stomach. She was in a hurry so she didn't stay to make sure she finished the job. Still running, she turned up the nearest staircase and quieted her steps. If she remembered correctly, this was Blackbeard’s quarters. 

“She’s strong,” a hushed voice said.

“She’s a demigod,” Blackbeard’s gruff voice replied. 

“Like you?” the other voice asked.

“She has to be,” the pirate she loathed mumbled.

“What about the others?” 

“Maybe the captain.”

Zinaida caught her breath and furrowed her eyebrows. She had no clue what to think of that. Demigod? Weren’t those children of the gods and humans?

Just then, another pirate turned around the corner. “She’s here!” he shouted, and she took off again in the direction of the deck. 

All the pirates up here jumped in surprise as she ran past them towards the masthead. She didn’t know why she felt the urge to run when there was nowhere to go. Just now, she realized how foolish she was to recklessly break herself out so soon. Sometimes she acted purely on impulse and this would be the time it backfired on her.

"Well look who decided to join us," grinned Blackbeard as walked up to her from behind.

She turned around to face him. "I decided it was a little stuffy down there," Zinaida said, tightening her grip around the sword. She watched nervously as all the other pirates stopped what they were doing to watch.

"Back to work," Blackbeard said to his crew. "I ‘ave this one. She's just a girl after all."

She bit back an insult and instead pointed her sword to him. “Apparently I’m not just a girl. Apparently I’m a demigod,” she said, staring at him intensely. “Explain what I heard!”

“Ah, so you’re curious,” he said with a cocky grin that grated on her nerves. “I can tell you if you go back down to your cell like a good little girl.”

She swung her sword, and he moved like lightning. He blocked her attack so quickly and effortlessly that she felt like she did when she was new to the sword. It made her furious. She blocked his next attack and then sidestepped to land a cut to his knee. He looked bored fighting her, as though he wasn’t giving his full attention to the fight.

"Come on, you will go back down there sooner or later," Blackbeard said. "We’re on a ship, you know, there is no where else for you to run, unless you like swimmin’ with the fish."

Zinaida said nothing but stopped fighting back. He did nothing to attack her. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, as if he was trying to decide if she was a demigod or not. 

“You couldn’t be who I thought you were, girl. You’re a weakling.”

She glared at him as she walked backwards up the stairs to the masthead. She needed to get revenge for that comment. Next to her, she spotted heavy cannonballs. Wasting no time, she rolled one of them over to the steps and pushed it down towards the unsuspecting pirate. Before Blackbeard noticed what was happening, the ball hit him in the leg and the pirate fell face- first on the stairs with a grunt of pain.

Zinaida could not help but laugh loudly and obnoxiously. “Some captain you are if you didn’t see that one coming!” She dashed over to the masthead trying to put more distance between herself and Blackbeard to think up another plan. Unfortunately, the pirate moved faster than she thought and had trapped her at the prow of the ship.

"Your tiny group of girls will never win," Blackbeard smiled then he pointed out past the stern of the ship. "You have more than just this ship to worry about."

Zinaida glanced back up to see at least seven more ships behind Blackbeard's. Each had its own captain with his own crew, but Zinaida knew Lucie wouldn't be fighting all those men. Just Blackbeard. All she needed to fight was Blackbeard.

"If you think that will beat us," Zinaida said, "then you don't know us at all."

"I have much more men than you do," Blackbeard said, a smug grin stretching across his features. “What makes you think that you can win?”

Zinaida wanted nothing more than to take away that smugness. She climbed up on the railing and took one look at the churning ocean below. “Because we can do things you wouldn’t dare to expect.”

She leaped into the sea below, sinking deep into icy water.

 

It was almost midnight and Lucie still found it impossible to sleep. She worried about her friend constantly. She had no idea how Blackbeard would treat her friend and she did not really know whether she was even still alive. 

Lucie sighed. Giving up on sleep she slid out of bed and draped her cloak around her shoulders. Quietly, she tiptoed out into the hallway. Everyone else was in their beds asleep but Lucie still couldn’t shake the silent presence of someone else wandering the halls. It was as if the ship was always active even when the crew members were not. As if there were others who watched the ship while they slept. No one else seemed to notice it but not very many of the girls were usually up a night.

She wandered down the hall to Zinaida’s room and snuck inside. In the darkness she could see Zinaida’s sword on the bedside table where she set it a few days ago. Other than  
that the room was untouched. Dust had started to gather on the furniture and Lucie made a mental note to come in here and clean in the morning.

The room only had the cot, an armoire and the bedside table. There was not much else. Despite how much they travelled none of the girls spent money on souvenirs. It left the  
ship a little plain but it was better to save their money for a time they may need more.

Back at Clovelly, Zinaida had such a fancy room with frills that she absolutely hated. The girl would have torn it all down if her mother would not have put it all up again. Her room was also always extremely clean and orderly but that’s because the maid kept it clean. On the ship, it was not exactly the same. Her blankets were still strewn all over her bed and the wardrobe was left partially open.

Smiling to herself, Lucie went over to close it when something caught her eye. Hanging up on was the blue dress her friend got from the ship. Zinaida must not have been wearing it the day Blackbeard captured her. The cloak and leather bodice had fallen to the floor in a heap so she picked them up and put them back on the hanger. Her hand lingered on the cloak as tears formed in her eyes. 

She missed her friend dearly and it was not just her. Those who knew Zinaida missed her as well. The atmosphere on the ship had changed since her capture. To Clara and Lucie, the ordeal was not much of a shock, they were expecting something to happen, but to the other girls it was loss they weren't expecting. It showed the rest of the crew how vulnerable the girls really were. It woke them up to the reality they were living in.

She closed the wardrobe and walked back across the room. Her eyes rested on Zinaida’s sword. It seemed lonely without it’s wielder. She was lonely. The two girl’s had been friends since they were five. They hung out whenever it was possible. Without her best friend around, Lucie felt a piece of her was missing.

“I know you won’t die on me,” Lucie whispered to the sword. “So I will do everything I can to free you and keep our freedom.” She left the room with renewed energy and a new promise that she would do everything to keep.

 

Before they headed to Clovelly, Lucie knew she needed to stop at a port along the way to buy the new girls some supplies. She had searched for swords and dresses down in the hold for them but only one girl found ones that suited her.

The girl had a certain intensity in her gray eyes and she excelled in swordplay. Her blond hair was always pulled back into a braid or pinned up on top of her head. With the exception of when they first met, Lucie didn’t recall ever seeing her hair down. The silver dress she wore combined with her looks made her seem like a warrior ready for battle. 

The little owls on her sleeves and white cloak did little to soften that image.

One time, when Lucie was watching the sword practice she had seen the girl defeat opponent after opponent and she eventually pulled the girl aside to see exactly how strong she was. Although she hated to admit it, Lucie was bad with names and had to ask what hers was.

“Payton,” the girl said.

“Well, Payton, that was some great sword fighting I saw,” Lucie praised. “You’ve improved quickly. I imagine you have a goal in mind?”

“You’re not the only ones who have been hurt by the pirates and those soldiers.” The girl’s eyes darkened to the color of storm clouds.

“Indeed,” she replied, “and we won’t be the last either.”

Payton must have seen the sadness in Lucie’s eyes because tears began to fall from her own. Lucie stepped in and embraced the younger girl but waited for her to speak. That is if she wanted.

“My father died when pirates raided his workplace,” she spoke between sobs. “They wanted the ship he was working on. He and his coworkers had just finished it when they came and they just… they just killed him.

“I didn’t have a mother so I ended up on the streets without any money. One day the soldiers spotted me near the docks and decided I was a pirate so they dragged me to that prison.”

Most of the girls that they had freed were still traumatized from their time spent in the prison. Lucie had been doing her best in making sure she talked to each girl to make sure they were fine. Some of them were slow to open up and it took a little patience on her part to find where they were hurting. A few others tried to pommel her before the opened up. She knew she’d never be able to heal their wounds but she did her best to make sure that they did not bottle up their pain.

“Are you ready to go?” Clara asked bringing Lucie back to the present.

Lucie looked down at her friend and back at her crew. Zorah and the older members were staying behind with the ship, while Lucie and Clara were taking the newer members, excluding Payton, out to buy new dresses and swords.

Lucie stared out at the new town. At this point she had been to so many that they had begun to blur together. The same buildings and stores. Similar people walking about or hard at work. It made it easier to figure out how to navigate each town.

“Let’s go,” Lucie said. 

As a group they blended in with the crowds of people. Lucie and Clara hid their swords beneath their cloaks and did their best not to look suspicious in front of the guards. The other girls trailed behind in groups of twos or threes. Although they tried to follow the advice they had been given on how not to be caught, many of them weren’t doing as well as  
Lucie would have hoped. It was good they didn’t run into too many soldiers before they found the smithy.

It was inside a large brick building but it didn’t seem like many men worked there. There were only two when Lucie entered with her crew. One of the men looked up from his work with interest when the girls walked in. The other one seemed too busy hammering a sword to notice or care who entered. The clang of his hammer echoed throughout the forge.

“What may I do for you girls today?” the man approached them. 

He was at least three times Lucie’s size and much stronger than any of the soldiers she faced. The expression on his face was not the usual cocky grin she was use to seeing.  
Instead, it was of idle curiosity that made her nervous enough to keep her hand on the hilt of her sword.

“We need some swords,” she replied. “I was hoping you would agree to make them.”

“Swords?” the man crossed his arms. “What would you need swords for?”

Lucie tightened her grip on hers. She was going to have to stay calm and be patient if they were going to do this without any violence. She was about to reply when the man working at the back turned around.

“Is that you, Lucie?” he smiled when he recognizes her. He threw his project into a nearby barrel of water.

She gasped in surprise. From the back she had not recognized him at all. Now that she could see his face she recognized the blond hair, though it was much longer, and the blue eyes. He had toned out some since she last saw him and there was a haunted look in his eyes.

“Kirill?” Lucie asked.

“Who?” said Clara.

“He’s Zinaida’s brother,” she said. “We thought he died in the fire.”

“It’s nice to see that you survived,” Kirill smiled. “Is Zinaida with you?”

Lucie shifted uneasily, “She was but Blackbeard captured her…”

Kirill looked surprised, “Blackbeard? What happened?”

“Meet me on my ship, the Lupis Maris, tonight. Then we can exchange stories.” She said. She didn’t mean to cut him short but they wanted to get their business in town done quickly. She turned back to the other man, “we need some swords for them.” She waved at the new girls who were standing back silently watching.

“I can do that,” swordsmith seemed much more willing to help now. “Have them line up and we’ll find a sword for them.”

The man had Kirill go retrieve a bunch of pre-made swords for the girls to try. One by one he had each swing a sword to see how well balanced it was for them. Some girls found ones they liked and he let them keep it. Others didn’t quite find the right sword so he made some notes and promised to make them soon. The whole time he was sizing the girls the man kept talking and he told them a story.

“I use to be a soldier of the British Navy,” he told them, “but I decided I didn’t like following orders so as soon as I could I quit.”

“Why did you become a soldier in the first place if you were just going to quit?”one of the girls asked.

“I guess you could say I was drawn to the uniforms and the honor I thought they had.” He said, “It was a few years back but there was a crew of girls just like there is today,” he began. Lucie froze, she had no idea that there was another female crew. “I remember meeting them once. Their captain was a kind, honest girl but there was a darkness in her eyes. It was mirrored in the eyes of the rest of her crew. They must have already been through so much yet they still smiled.

“For a few months, they lived peacefully while sailing the seas but it didn’t last long. Men become uneasy when women have power. These girls had their own ship and could hold their own in a fight pretty well. The captain herself had a powerful presence. One day it became too much.” At this point all the girls were sucked into his story. Lucie had never heard of this other female crew and wanted to know more.

“One day a fight broke out and the girls ended up in the middle of it. I don’t know if they were the ones who instigated it but I know the fight was not their captain’s style. They won without killing any soldiers but that’s when the rumors started to spread. Since society couldn’t put them anywhere else they became pirates. They weren’t bad people but the pressure became too much.

“A murder was committed and a witness said that it was one of them. That's when the rumors became true... Or at least close to it." Some of the girls had found chairs to sit on and were leaning forward listening. Lucie realized how similar it was to their story.

"The soldiers were sent after them and when they escaped to sea the navy followed. The girls had given a good chase but it was not enough. We caught up to them and readied to attack the ship. When we noticed that no was on the deck preparing to defend, we stopped. Our ship coasted up until it was right beside theirs but there was no one who tried to attack us. Our superiors decided to raid the ship to see what could be found. One group was ordered to stay and defend our ship while the other group boarded their ship.

“We searched the whole place but there was no one in sight. It didn't look abandoned, but more as if no one had lived there for a while. Empty of food and clothing. The beds were made, all the silver put away and even the hold was completely in order. There was no dust on the furniture and the floors had been cleaned. No one ever knew what became of these girls. Most speculated that they committed suicide by jumping into the sea. Slowly people stopped talking about the female pirates. After a month, they were forgotten like leaves on the wind.”

The man stopped talking for a moment and looked out the window, “I never forgot them. I never forgot how it was the people who drove them over the edge. I never forgot how kind they were. There was no honor in being a soldier then. Instead I felt like a bully so I left as soon as I could.” Silence fell when he stopped talking. Lucie couldn’t help but wonder if this was the path they were walking down. If they would end up as nothing more than a distant memory.

"I really wish those girls had survived." she muttered to Clara as she pulled out the money pouch to pay for the swords.

“Do you think they would have allied with us?” Clara asked.

“I know I would have tried,” she marched to the blacksmith and began to ask him how much he wanted but he just waved her away.

“There’s no need to pay,” he said. “I won’t allow friends of Kirill pay for the swords. He’s done plenty of hard work for me and he is one of the best apprentices I’ve had.”  
Hesitantly, Lucie put her money away. She was not expecting to receive the swords for free.

“We’ll be back in a few days to collect the remaining swords then,” she waved bye to Kirill and the blacksmith before leaving the shop.

 

The seamstress was not as easy to deal with. By the time the girls had arrived at her shop word had spread that the female pirates were in town. More soldiers were patrolling the streets and Lucie just barely managed to keep them from noticing the girls. Clara would often have to distract them the soldiers. It was a relief when the made it too the seamstress’ shop without raising any alarms but they had barely taken a step inside the building before the woman started going crazy.

“Pirates!” she screamed. “Pirates are in my shop!” 

Luie sighed. It was so difficult to blend in with the crowd. To pretend to be the meek girl she use to be. She suspected it was their proud look that tipped strangers off. With traveling on the sea so much they had become more confident and it showed in their posture. In ways that they hardly noticed themselves they stood out from the rest of the crowd. At least this was her theory.

Before the seamstress could scream again Lucie leaped at her with her sword drawn. It stopped at the woman’s throat.

“Scream again and I won’t hesitate to kill you,” she whispered. “Give us what we want and we will pay you well, along with letting you keep your life. Understand?” The woman nodded and Lucie stepped away. She didn’t sheath her sword but kept it at her side.

“Wh-what may I do for you girls today?” the woman’s voice shook but Lucie ignored it.

“My friends here,” she waved at all the new girls. “Need some new dresses. We were wondering if you would make some for us.”

The woman waved for the girls to come forward. “Step up so I can take your measurements,” she said in a shaky voice.

Lucie and Clara watched as each girl stepped forward. The woman’s hands shook but she measured everyone quickly and efficiently. Once she was done she allowed the girls to wander around the shop to find which fabric they liked best. Lucie described the kind of dress she wanted the seamstress to make.

She tried to make it one that would be easy to fight in but still socially acceptable. It was difficult to figure something out but the seamstress knew what she was doing. She made easy suggestions to the design of a dress to make it lighter and more flexible.

Once the girls had chosen the fabric they wanted, Lucie dismissed them to head back to the ship. Clara stayed with her until they were done with the seamstress. They overpaid the woman out of guilt but since they didn’t have to pay for swords there was extra money to go around.

“Thank you for your time,” Lucie waved to the woman. “And don’t forget what will happen if you tell anyone about us.” She left the threat hanging in the air as they exited the shop.


	11. Hide-and-Seek

As soon as they left the shop Cecile ran straight into Lucie forcing Ember, who was not far behind, to run into both of them. She stumbled backwards but managed to stay upright and steady the two girls. Clara was the only one who avoided the chaos by leaping out of the way.

"Where are you racing off to?" Lucie asked once she had untangled herself from the other girls.

Cecile waited until she caught her breath before she spoke. "I'm looking for you," she said. "The ship’s surrounded by soldiers. They need our help."

“What about the new girls?” Clara asked.

“They all made it,” Ember said, “but they were the ones who attracted the soldiers.”

“We’re going to need to teach them how to blend in better,” Lucie sighed.

She grabbed Ember’s hand and Clara grabbed Cecile’s and together they ran towards the docks. Before they could go far, they spotted groups of soldiers searching the town for them. Some were interrogating citizens. Asking if they had seen any strange girls. Lucie prayed that no one noticed them as she secretly lead the girls through crowds or back alleys. Whatever they could use to stay out of sight or blend in.

Whether it was by luck or not, the girls did not cross the paths of any soldiers until they almost made it to the docks. None of the soldiers bothered them until then. That was when they heard footsteps approach them from around the corner. With no one else in the alley it would have been suspicious to find four girls there.

Clara quickly ducked behind some crates pulling Cecile along with her, and Lucie pushed Ember in before kneeling behind herself. She listened as the footsteps approached. It was not a big group of people, but it was hard to tell exactly how many there were in the group. From between the crates, she could see bits of the soldiers polished uniforms. None of them seemed to have spotted the girls but she was afraid that someone was going to look in their hiding spot.

Ember was clinging onto her cloak as she stared wide-eyed with fear. Clara sat up on her knees ready to spring out at any moment and Cecile seemed to be trying to shrink as close to the crates as he could. All of them were terrified but doing their best not to alert the soldiers.

When the echoes of footsteps finally disappeared, Lucie let out a sigh of relief. The girls climbed out from behind the crates and they continued to cautiously make their way down the alley. Clara lead the way around the corner and the other two girls followed closely behind. But of course, as soon as they turned the corner they ran right into another group of soldiers.

"What are you girls doing here?" barked their leader. "The alley is no place for young ladies like you."

Lucie walked up to stand beside Clara. "We were just taking a shortcut home,” she replied.

Clara nodded, "We always take this route."

"You must be in the wrong alley girls," replied the soldier, "This one leads directly to the docks. Why don't you tell us where you live and we will take you home."

Lucie silently cursed herself but she tried again, "Our father's at the docks and he must be waiting for us.”

"There are no civilians at the dock." The soldier straitened, "we cannot allow you girls to be over there right now. You need to go home."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Lucie stopped trying to pretend to be someone else. It obviously was not working and her patience with these soldiers was really starting to run thin. "My home is right through you. So either you move or we force our way through."

At that moment, the men realized who they really were and his tone completely changed. "In that case you really will be coming with us," he said pointing his rifle at them and the others did the same.

Lucie froze. The girls didn’t stand a chance against these weapons. They were more use to close-range fighting with their swords and did not have the means for long-range combat. Even if she tried to charge one of them, the rest would just open fire on the girls.

That would have been the end if it weren’t for the arrows that rained down on the soldiers. Most of them didn’t hit but they caused enough of a distraction. Taking control of the moment, Lucie drew her sword and threw herself into battle. The other girls followed her as they swung their weapons without mercy. Hesitation could have meant death.

Moments later, Martina and Payton entered the fight. They both had bows and arrows strapped to their backs but they were using their swords to cut through the soldiers. Their enemies weren’t given the chance to react. A few tried to fire but the girls didn’t give them a clear shot. It was over quickly and Lucie heaved a sigh of relief. She kneeled over to a soldier who was still alive. His injuries weren’t fatal so she knew he would remember her message.

"Just so you know I am captain of that ship who carries the so called ‘pirate girls’," she whispered in his ear. "Be careful next time you try to arrest one of us."

Lucie stood up to make sure her friends were all right. Everyone’s dresses were bloody but none of them had been injured. She sheathed her sword, not feeling the need to finish off any of the soldiers who were left. Instead she lead the girls further down the alley before she began to question Martina.

“Where did you get those bows?” she asked Martina.

“From our sword sheaths,” Martina held her bow up to her sheath and the girls watched amazed as they saw it shrink back into a tiny silver charm. “All you have to do is pull at the charm and you have a bow.”

Lucie and the other girls tried it and soon they were all holding beautiful ivory bows. The arrow sheath, which was full of arrows, also shrunk into a charm. The arrows had silver tips with black and white fletchings. The girls admired their new weapons even though none of knew how to use one.

“Wow,” Ember breathed. “It's like magic.” 

Lucie nodded in agreement. "Maybe it is magic." 

She thought of the Lupis Maris and how the ship was mysteriously able to sail itself. There was so much about that ship that was so mysterious. Magic must exist. How else could she explain everything.

“Come on, we should head back to the ship now,” Lucie said, taking a glanced back down the alley. “I sure don’t want to be caught here if someone comes this way.” She led the girls back out to the street and into the busy crowds. The girls had covered their dresses with their cloaks so no one would see the bloodstains.

When they finally reached the ship, they found a big group of soldiers waiting on the dock. Lucie was really starting to tire of them. Every time they turned and corner they ran into more soldiers. She had no idea where they all came from.

"How are we going to board the ship now?" Ember asked, a bit of a whine creeping into her voice.

"There weren't as many earlier," Martina spoke quietly so as to not be overheard. "It was easy to sneak through. We may need to wait till tonight."

"But where will we go?" Lucie pointed out. "The soldiers are sure to be combing the whole city for us." The other girls shrugged at a loss for what to do.

"Need a place to stay?" Lucie jumped when she heard Kirill’s voice.

Martina pulled out her sword, "Who are you?" She demanded.

Lucie put her hand on Martina’s sword, “Put it away. This is Zinaida’s brother, Kirill. He won’t give us away.”

Kirill smiled slightly. "Come over to my house. You can stay there until later tonight. At least then there will be less soldiers out.”

 

Kirill’s new house was much more modest than what he use to live in. All his old belongings had burned in the fire and he no longer had the money that his family had. It was significantly smaller and less decorated. However, he looked more comfortable in the smaller house and Lucie thought it suited him better.

"So how exactly did you escape the pirates and the fire?" Lucie demanded. They had just finished dinner, made by her and Clara, and all the girls were still sitting around the table.The girls were curious about the type of person Zinaida’s brother was so they stayed to listen. 

“It was my father that first noticed the fires,” he began. “He ordered all of our servants to head down to the water before he went to find our mother and Denis. By the time the three of us reached the front door Zinaida and Sergei had made it home. Together we ran onto the streets trying to make it to the water as quickly as we could.

“Unfortunately we didn’t know about the pirates.” Kirill shook his head. “The first pirate we saw jumped out right in front of Sergei. We sent Zinaida, Denis and our mother down to the port while we tried to deal with the pirates. Together, we did our best to deter them so the citizens could run free but there were too many. Eventually we were fighting for our lives and were forced to run or be devoured by the flames. We ended up getting separated in the fire. That was the last I had seen of any of my family. 

“While running I managed to find a part of town that was built with more stone buildings where some of the citizens had taken shelter. It was near the water so the men were able to fend off what little of the fire reached it.”

“After the fire was over we went into the forest to escape the pirates. Some of the people knew the trails really well so we were able to to travel pretty deep. There we waited the whole day until some of our scouts came back and reported that the pirates had left. When we returned to the village we found a few survivors left but I didn’t see my family. I thought they all had died. I found it hard to stay in that village afterwards so I left.”

“I didn’t know anyone survived the fire.” Lucie said.

“Not many did. How in the world did you survive that fire?” Kirill asked her.

Although the girls had heard the story before they all leaned in to hear Lucie tell her story again. Kirill’s expression was sad when she described her part in the burning village. It was hard to dwell too long on all the deaths so she told that part as quickly as she could before she moved on to the part with the pirates. She smiled at Kirill’s shocked expression as she described how she obtained the ship and defeated pirate ship after pirate ship afterwards. The room became more solemn when she told the part about when Zinaida was captured.

“We needed more supplies and weapons for the new girls so we decided to stop here before we headed to Clovelly.”

"Is there anything I can get you before you leave?" Kirill questioned. “I can buy you food... anything you need to find my sister.”

“That would be appreciated,” Lucie said. “Clara can tell you what food we need.”

“Make a list and I can buy it for you,” he said.

The other girls went over to the living room and started talking to each other nervously. Kirill handed Clara a pen and paper to make the list. 

“Lucie, can I talk to you alone?” Kirill asked suddenly.

“Uh, sure,” Lucie replied, following Kirill outside so they won’t be heard.

“Are you sure she’s alive?” he asked somberly, his eyes a little sad.

“I’m sure she’s alive. She’s really strong. Probably stronger than you think,” Lucie responded, putting all of her faith in Zinaida. “I won’t stop until I save her.”

“I believe you, but I really want to see her. Can I join your crew until you find her? She’s the only family I have left…” he trailed off sadly.

Lucie really wanted to help him. After all, she had grown up with him, so she did care for him a bit. But she knew that the other girls would feel uncomfortable. Plus, Lucie didn’t want to see him hurt if they found out the worst…

“Kirill, I don’t think I can do that. The crew is only girls… I have to think more about them. I can promise you that I’ll tell Zinaida I ran into you when I find her. If she comes back to see you, that’s her choice. You can give me a letter to give to her later.”

Lucie could tell Kirill understood. He gave a nod to her before saying, “I’ll go and get the supplies you need and I’ll give you the letter when I get back. Thanks again, Lucie. Zinaida means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. She watched him walk away before she turned on her heels to go back inside.

When she entered the snug house again, Lucie felt someone touch her shoulder. "How do you know we can trust him?" Martina whispered.

"Kirill is Zinaida's brother," Lucie told her. "I know him well, he won't hurt us."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Clara asked, obviously a bit nervous. The soldiers patrolling the city put everyone on edge.

"Yes," Lucie sighed, "As far as I'm concerned, Kirill is one of Zinaida's more trustworthy brothers. And besides, he’s always cared for his sister. If he does anything, it’ll be to help her."

"If you say so," Clara said, but she didn't sound satisfied with Lucie's reply. She realized it was becoming harder for the crew to trust people, herself included. Soon they may not be able to trust old friends and family the same way they use to.

 

That night, Lucie sent the rest of the girls back to the ship while she and Clara stayed inside the city. The two of them distracted the remaining pirates on the dock so the rest could sneak in beneath their guard and board the ship. They were carrying in the supplies Kirill had bought and Martina had a message Lucie wrote to Zorah.

Two days later, the two girls had retrieved the swords and dresses without raising too much alarm. They said goodbye to Kirill before sneaking on the ship themselves.

“Don’t be afraid to come visit,” Kirill had said.

“I’ll try,” Lucie told him. “Were going to formulate a plan to make the soldiers trust us so we are no longer pirates in their eyes. We must deal with Blackbeard first though.”

He nodded, “Bring Zinaida back safe.”

Lucie nodded and waved goodbye before boarding her ship. She told the Lupis Maris to leave port. All the other girls were below deck admiring the new swords and dresses but she stayed above waving at Kirill until she could no longer see him. Yet another person she was leaving behind. She hoped this wasn’t the last time they meet.

 

One of Lucie's favorite spots on the ship was on top of the masthead. It was not as high as the lookout perch on the main mast but it was more comfortable. She could see pretty far out on the ocean. Behind her, Lucie had a nice view of the forecastle, main deck and poop deck.

On the main deck Clara was watching the girls as they practiced their sword fighting. Some of the older girls helped to coach the new girls. Now that they had enough swords for everyone it was easier to teach them to fight. Lucie climbed down the masthead and walked over to where Clara was observing the practice.

"Done being the lookout," Clara teased.

"All I've seen all day is the sea," Lucie said, "no sign of land but Lupis said that we should be there soon we might even be there late tonight."

"So by tomorrow we will have Zinaida back,” Clara asked looking hopeful. The same hope that was reflected in her own heart.

“She has to been alive. There would be no point in telling us they only captured her when they’ve actually killed her.” Lucie said but she felt more like she was trying to convince herself. She sighed, “Wanna duel?”

Clara smiled, “Think you can beat me?”

“I don't know but fighting all these pirates have made me stronger,” Lucie unsheathed her sword. It had been a long time since they last fought each other and Lucie needed the distraction. “I think I can win.”

“Fine, let’s do it,” Clara drew her sword and they both took a stance. Lucie attacked first swinging her sword at Clara but she blocked. “Better aim.” she nodded approval. “So you have improved.” The girl had also improved but survival had made it necessary.

“It’s all the pirates I have been fighting.” Lucie replied, dodging Clara’s sword. 

She aimed for the girl’s legs trying to knock her over. Clara jumped back and swung her sword down to hit Lucie on the head. She dodged and tried another swing. Both swords met in the middle with a loud clang. Now, instead of the bored look on her face, Lucie saw fierce determination in the girl’s eyes. She smiled, it’s more fun when you're fighting someone with the same skill level.

By this time the other girls had stopped their duels to watch. Neither Lucie nor Clara paid attention to their audience both determined to win. The swords clashed against each other time and time again. Both girls dodged and leaped to avoid each other’s attacks yet trying their hardest to beat each other. The fight ended when Lucie caught Clara off-guard with an upward thrust of her sword. Her arm flung out wide leaving her unguarded. Lucie jumped in and pressed her sword up against the girl’s neck.

“I win,” Lucie smiled.

“You’ve really improved,” Clara said impressed. The rest of the girls applauded as they sheathed their swords. “Both you and Zinaida have improved so quickly I feel like I’m being left behind.”

“Don’t feel too bad,” Lucie said. “We’ve all had to fight hard to survive.”


	12. Clovelly

Lucie sighed, despite spending the evening helping Clara train the crew, she was still too anxious to fall asleep. There was too much on her mind. Between the pirates and the British Navy it was hard to relax. She was always expecting someone to attack.

Giving up, she slid off her cot and walked outside to where the wolf kept watch over the sea. With practiced ease she climbed up to her perch on top of Lupis’ head and sat down. There, the wide night sky spread out before her and the dark sea seemed endless below. She loved to watch the black ocean from here. It’s the endless waters that would sometimes remind her of the neverending adventure before her.

“Do you think Zinaida will be with Blackbeard tomorrow?” Lucie asked the Lupis Maris.

“There would be no way of knowing for sure,” Lupis replied. “but if they want a trade they are going to have to keep her alive.”

Lucie sighed sadly, “I don’t know what I would do without her.”

“Well, if she is dead then you have the right to kill Blackbeard.” Lupis said. Which surprised Lucie. The wolf rarely ever made suggestions like this. She usually let the girls solve their own problems and only spoke at her convenience.

“I would like that,” Lucie laughed, Blackbeard had caused her enough trouble so she wouldn’t mind having the chance to stick her sword through his chest. After contemplating for a while she added. “If there are still people left in town I don’t want to lure the pirates there. Head over to the cove where Blackbeard anchored his ships last time.”

“Don’t worry we will stay out of the way of the townspeople,” Lupis assured her.

She yawned as she relaxed against Lupis’ ear. The stars shone so high above her and she spent her time picking out each of the constellations. Sometimes she wished she could reach up and pluck the stars from the sky. To hold the little glowing embers in her hand. Other times she wished she could swim to the depths of the ocean and explore the very bottom. With these thoughts swirling in her head she soon fell asleep.

 

She woke with the sun the next morning to find that the ship was already anchored as close to shore as it could get. The familiar sight of the forest reminded her of all the deaths that occurred months ago. Of the destruction that befell the town and of the fear that filled it during that time.

“Lucie! What are you doing up there so early in the morning?!” Clara yelled up at her.

“Ummmm.... I fell asleep up here.” Lucie replied before climbing down to meet Clara on deck.

“What am I going to do with you and Zinaida?” the girl shook her head. “You’re just falling asleep on the deck wherever you please.”

Lucie shrugged, “It’s warm outside. I don’t see a reason not to.”

“Well, Blackbeard’s approaching,” Clara pointed to a ship out on the horizon, “and I would prefer it if we all had breakfast before meeting him.”

Lucie squinted as she tried to look at the ship. It was still far away. Maybe another hour before it reached them. Especially since the wind was blowing the wrong way.

“I guess we should make sure everyone is awake and ready.” The girls headed below deck to prepare for their meeting with the pirates. Forty minutes later everyone was up and ready to go. They lowered the longboats into the water and rowed them to shore.

This was not the first time the girls had to use the longboats so most knew how to row them. They had learned from a bit of trial and error but eventually they figured it out. Once they landed a few of the girls stayed behind to guard the boats while the rest followed Lucie up the beach to meet Blackbeard.

He had only brought a few of his men but Blackbeard looked just as terrifying as when she had first seen him. It took all her courage to face him without shrinking away. The two groups met and Lucie had to admit that the pirates looked more impressive than her group of girls.

“Where’s Zinaida?” Lucie asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest and glaring through narrowed eyes at the pirate.

“No greeting,” Blackbeard smirked, his glare was enough to make the other girls whisper nervously among themselves. “Just straight to the point.”

“I’m not very happy that you took my friend,” she didn’t back down.

“I’ll tell you as soon as you help me with a small problem.” Blackbeard stuck his dirty face in front of Lucie’s. “I need you to help me get rid of a common enemy that we both have.”

“So?” Lucie retorted.

“If you want your friend back, you have to help us fight the British Navy,” he said, “or we could just kill her. Whatever you like.”

“Where is she?” Lucie asked. “Why isn’t she here?”

“Help us and maybe you will see her again.”

Lucie was about to speak again when Zorah tapped her on the shoulder, “Umm, Lucie the British Navy really is here,” she said. “We might need to get moving if we want to live.”

Sure enough, approaching them, were three ships from the British Navy. Lucie glared at Blackbeard only to see him already halfway down the beach toward his longboats. 

“Coward,” she muttered as her crew gathered around her. “I guess we will have to take care of those ships,” she muttered.

“How are we going to fight them without any cannons?” Clara asked.

“We’re going to have to find a way to fight them on the ground,” Lucie said. “Here we will have more of a chance.”

“What will we do about the ship?” Martina said. “If it gets destroyed then we won’t have a home.”

“If you girls focus on your battle I can make sure I stay intact,” Lupis said making Lucie jump. She was use to hearing the wolf’s voice when she was on the ship but the wolf never spoke to her otherwise.

“The wolf will take care of it.” Lucie said. They were all watching the ships approach. Two broke off to challenge the pirate ship and the third headed straight towards them.

“Where is our ship?” Clara asked.

“What?” Lucie turned her head to look at where the ship was anchored but it wasn’t there. The longboats had disappeared as well. The girls who were guarding them looked around in confusion before they headed over to the rest of the crew. “Where the hell did that ship go?”

“You might want to use your eyes a little better.” Lucie jumped when she noticed the wolf sitting right in front of her.

Although she was much smaller than the masthead, which was a relief, her pelt still had the beautiful swirl of colors. Every paw was a different shade of gray. One almost looked black. In her mouth was a bottle with a ship that looked exactly like the Lupis Maris inside. The crew began to mutter in surprise but Lupis ignored them.

“I’ll see you in town,” the wolf said. She trotted off into the trees while the girls watched her go.

They didn’t have long to stand there in shock. A loud boom went off and sand flew from somewhere to her left. Girls squealed and ran in all directions from the threat. More cannons went off, and Lucie leaped back as she just barely avoided being hit by a cannon ball. Sand got in her eyes making it difficult to see where she was going.

“Head into the forest!” Lucie called. Half the girls were already running there but the rest made a beeline for the trees. Cannons still followed them up the beach. Whether it was luck or some divine intervention none of the cannons hit the girls though some came close.

The girls regrouped not far from the treeline. The cannons stopped when they were all out of sight. Everyone was breathing hard but alive. That was what counted.

“Is everyone okay?” Lucie called out to her crew.

All the girls looked at each other but no one seemed injured. She sighed out of relief but her heart was still hammering in her chest.

Lucie looked back to watch the soldiers as they climbed into their long boats and started rowing towards the beach. She waved for the crew to follow her until they stood right where the trees ended.

“Take out your bows,” Lucie called to everyone who had them. No one was an expert with the long range weapon but they had spent hours on the deck practicing. Some of them could at least hit a target.

She walked out onto the beach and waited with the other archers lined up beside her. The rest stayed behind in the forest. Together they waited. Arrows were notched on the strings and were pulled back at the ready. Soon the soldiers were in range.

Lucie shot the first arrow. She felt clumsy, as always, and the arrow splashed into the water right in front of the boats. The soldiers stopped rowing began to laugh until they saw the volley of arrows that followed. Panic ensued as the men tried to jump into the water to avoid being hit. Only a few arrows actually hit a target, but the men were now spread out and swimming towards them. A few were injured.

They continued to fire the arrows until the men reached the beach. Very few of the soldiers didn’t have an arrow sticking out of them. There were bodies of a few who didn’t make it floating in the water. 

The girls exchanged their bows for swords. Led by Lucie, they all ran to meet the first line of soldiers. The two sides clashed but none of the soldiers had been expecting the girls to be as strong as they were which Lucie used that to her advantage. There were just as many of them, maybe more, as there were girls so there was no guarantee that everyone was going to make it.

Lucie took care of her first opponent quickly. Then she turned to deal with the next one but he was a little more prepared. He swung down trying to catch her shoulder but she leaped out of the way. She tried to move behind him and strike him from the back but he was too fast. Instead they exchanged blows as they tried to find holes in each other's guard.

Suddenly, she heard someone scream her name. The soldier in front became distracted and she was finally able to reach inside his guard and finish him. Once he was down she turned just in time to see a soldier stick his sword through one of her crew members. The girl fell to the ground.

The roar of battle faded from her ears. Her focused completely narrowed on the man before her. He smirked thinking he had her cornered but it was just the opposite. She pulled her dagger out of her cloak and readied her stance. The man swung his sword towards her but it glanced off her sword when she blocked. Her left hand whipped in with the dagger giving him a nice cut to the abdomen. With that one move she won. The man continued to rain down blows on her but she blacked until the man passed out from the poison.

When the soldier was gone, she kneeled by the fallen girl and cradled her head in her arms. Her name was Adele. Lucie remembered talking to her a number of times. The girl seemed happy ever since she became part of the crew. She was a quiet girl but she was always helped with chores around the ship.

The tide of battle was fading around them as the soldiers were losing. None of the girls gave the men a chance to retreat. Not a single soldier lived through the fight. By the end the beach was soaked in blood and bodies were scattered everywhere. 

Lucie focused on the girl in front of her. She recognized the wound as her mother’s face flashed before her eyes but she attempted to push it away. Tears formed and streaked down her face.

“I’m sorry,” Lucie whispered. She attempted to staunch the blood with her cloak but there was too much.

“Don’t...” Adele whispered. “Don’t cry. You saved us… I’ve always wanted... to say... thank you.”

“Why?” Lucie said. She had never done anything to be thanked for. All this time she had tried to free these girls but what if all she was doing was leading them to their deaths?

The battle ceased and all the girls made a ring around them. Martina and Zorah along with Rose and Olive carried two other dead girls to lay beside Adele. No one spoke as they watched their dying comrade before them. A few girls were crying.

“Thank you…” Adele tried again, “for freeing us…”

The last words were so quiet Lucie almost didn’t catch them. The girl went limp in her arms and she closed her eyes.

“It hurts when it’s one of your own doesn’t it?” the crowd part to let Blackbeard through. He was dragging two girls along with him.

“What do you want?” she replied coolly standing up to face him.

“I just wanted to give you a little present,” he said pushing the two shaking girls towards Lucie. “Just for getting rid of those annoying men for me. Maybe they would do well to replace your friend.”

“My friend?” she asked because it didn’t seem like he was talking about the girls before them.

“There was a little accident...” he began. Suddenly she realized who he was talking about. Why he hadn’t brought Zinaida with him to meet her. She was so angry she forgot to fear him.

“An accident!” Lucie voice became scary calm. “You call killing Zinaida an accident?” Blackbeard tried to speak but she interrupted him. “Don’t you ever think about showing your face in front of me again and there’s no way we will ever agree to be in your fleet.”

“You will regret making an enemy out of me,” he sneered at her before walking away. “Make sure you keep an eye on your back or next time one girl may not be enough to shield it.”

“Stop,” Lucie ordered when some of the girls started to go after him. “We don't need any more bloodshed today.” She walked over to the two girls which she guessed by their clothing had come off one of the British ships. “What are your names?” Lucie asked. They looked at her fearfully.

“I’m Faith,” one of them spoke, “and this is my sister, Alaina.”

Faith, the older girl, had brown hair with deep brown eyes. Her soft features made her seem innocent but her sharp eyes quickly took in the scene before her. Alaina had the same brown eyes but her hair was a nice golden yellow. They both had the bronze skin which would have made them identical if it weren’t for the different hair colors and heights.

“Well, I’m Lucie,” she said. “For now I’ll have Clara take care of you and later we can talk about whether you really want to join our crew or not. Think about it for now.”

Clara nodded in agreement. “Come with me.” She ushered the girls away from the crowd.

Lucie turned back to the crew. They were all watching her, waiting for her to lead. For the first time she felt the pressure of being the captain.

“We had three warriors fall today?” she asked.

“Yes,” Martina answered.

“We will carry them with us back to Clovelly,” she said. “There we will burn them and send their ashes out to sea. That way they will always be free.”

“Some of us are too injured to travel very far.” Martina pointed out. It was true some of the girls were sitting on the sand with blood soaking through their clothing. The wounds weren’t fatal but too much blood loss could be dangerous.

“If you don’t mind, captain,” said a voice behind her. “We could be of assistance.”

This time it was Mr. Smith. The butcher who had saved Lucie’s life almost a year ago. She was really getting tired of random people she knew appearing out of nowhere. He was leading a group of men towards them. Although the other girls tensed up, Lucie couldn’t help but feel relieved that there were people who didn’t want to kill them.

The kind men helped carry the injured and deceased back to the town. There they brought them to the make-shift village built on top of the old burnt buildings. Some of the women set them up in the meeting house. It was the only place big enough to fit all of them. The dead girls were set in one corner away from the others. A doctor came in to treat the injured while the others sat around quietly waiting their turn.

“I thought you had died in the fire,” Smith said, “but now I find you alive and with your own ship and crew. What in the world happened?”

They stood outside the building where Lucie could see her ship. It was anchored where the town docks use to be.

“That’s a story I don’t want to repeat again,” she whispered. After the deaths of three of her crew members, she was not in the mood.

“It looks like you’ve led a tough life.” the man said, taking note of her scrapes and bruises. “A life a girl your age should not have.”

“It is the life I chose,” she said curtly. “I will not change it now.”

Smith sighed but he knew very well that he would not be able to talk her out of it. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Would you set up a bonfire for us? Tonight we are going to burn our dead.”

“I will have some of the boys on it,” he said. “You should get some rest, captain.”

“Just call me Lucie,” she said. “There’s no need to be so formal.” 

She left the man behind and began wandering through the remains of her town. All the bodies had been cleaned up but the skeletons of the houses were still there. She looked at each one sadly knowing that the family that use to live there was most likely dead. So many lives had been taken that day but all she could remember were the screams of terror and the smoke that blocked out the stars.

Through the city she wandered until she reached the street she was looking for. Past the charred buildings she walked until she found the one she thought might have been her house. It was hard to tell the difference between all the buildings. The fire had done it’s job well.

“I thought you might be here.” To Lucie’s surprise it was her father who showed up. He picked his way over the rubble to where she was standing. He hadn’t changed much since she had last seen him except the hard lines in his face had softened a little. “Smith told me you were back.”

“Come to yell at me for leaving this place,” she asked bitterly.

“I came to see how you were.” What he said shocked her so much that she didn’t know how to respond. Her father chuckled a little and she realized he really had grown softer. Memories of back when Lucie used to play with her family surfaced. She remembered her father coming home from work and sweeping her up in his arms. “It seems you are doing well.”

He turned to walk away but Lucie stopped him, “Did any of my brothers survive?” Her father turned around and shook his head. His grief was clearly written on his face. She bowed her head unsure how she felt. There were too many emotions swirling around at the moment. They stood in silence for a moment until Lucie spoke. “I have a question.”

She finally turned away from her burnt home to face her father straight on. Something she would have never done before the fire. It amazed her how much she had changed.

“What is it?” her father asked but he seemed to already know what the question was about.

“Before my mother …” Lucie faltered as she failed to keep her emotions in check. “Before she died, she told me that you weren’t my real father. I was unable to ask her what that meant.”

He frowned before responding. “She knew him before we even married. He was a stranger that arrived on a ship one day. He must have been a noble from the way he carried himself but it was difficult to tell who he was and he wouldn’t say where he was from.

“It was obvious that your mother loved him but soon he disappeared. No one knew where he went but he was not soon forgotten. I knew that when she married me she could never forget that man.

“Many years later he showed up again. Even though she had already married, I think she couldn’t resist speaking to him again. During the short time he was here she was hardly home. I was afraid she would leave for good but that never happened. Just like last time he disappeared without a trace.”

The man sighed and stared straight at her. “Months later you were born. Your mother and I had no doubts that you were his child but I decided to raise you as my own. It seems in the last few years I have failed in that respect and I apologize.”

He bowed his head and Lucie didn’t know how to respond.So much had happened in one day she felt the shock alone might begin to break her apart. She felt anger, grief and guilt for her comrades that fell. Happiness that so many were still alive. But in front of her father she didn’t know what to feel about him or what to say. Lucie stood in silence for a while as she tried to sort herself out but eventually she realized that life was too short. She didn’t want to spend it hating a man who apologized so sincerely.

She scratched her head shyly before muttering, “I doubt I will ever meet my real father so to me you are my father.” He stared at her in surprise and Lucie couldn’t help but giggle at the surprised face she had never seen him use. It was then that she realized that it was about time she returned to her crew. “I should probably head back,” she told her father.

“Here,” the man suddenly pulled something out from behind his back. “This somehow survived the fires and I think your mother would want you to have it.”

He handed her a familiar wooden box and Lucie let out a tiny gasp when she saw it. It was her mother’s jewelry box. Still in almost perfect condition. Some how it had survived the fire. She opened it up to gaze at the beautiful jewelry her mother had left behind. There was a few rings, a few bracelets and a necklace that sat on top of it all. She picked up the necklace by it’s leather cord. A dull green gem hung on the end and she remembered when her mother used to wear it.

“Here allow me,” her father grabbed the necklace and strung it around her neck. “Now your mother will always be here with you.”

“Thank you,” Lucie said. She closed the jewelry box. It was then that she realized that it was about time she returned to her crew. “I should head back,” she told her father.

“Allow me to escort you then,” he held out his arm to her. If it was anyone else she would have ignored it but she took up the offer. She couldn’t help but feel like a little kid again.

 

The sun had long sunk below the horizon and all the girls gathered at the beach. The pile of wood was stacked before them with their fallen comrades lying on top. Lucie, Clara, Zorah and Martina all held torches to light the wood with. 

Zorah, who was an amazing painter, made portraits for all the girls including Zinaida. All of them were smiling and so lively in the pictures. The portraits were placed on makeshift easels some of the girls made from driftwood.

“Tonight, we grieve for our fallen comrades,” Lucie began. “They fought bravely for their friends and crew so that we could live on to continue our war against the pirates and the British Navy. Their deaths will not be in vain. For we will continue to fight to free ourselves of any and all injustice.”

“We will grieve for their loss for they are no longer alive to fight alongside us as our comrades and as our sisters but they will always be there in our hearts. Let us set them free into the ocean so their spirits may always travel as far as their hearts desire.”

Lucie threw her torch onto the fire and the other girls did the same. Silently they watched the flames climb higher and higher until it had completely consumed the bodies. As soon as the fire died, all the girls gathered up the ashes and threw them into the sea. There were no tears or screams. Just a collective silence from all of them.

“Farewell, Adele.” Lucie said and the others echoed. “Farewell, Perda. Farewell, Marissa.” She paused before the last name. Struggling to keep her voice from cracking. “Farewell, Zinaida.” Only those who knew Zinaida echoed hers but that was fine.

After it was done most of the girls went back to get some sleep. A few stayed to grieve longer but eventually they left. Clara stayed with Lucie the longest, a comforting arm around her shoulders. Eventually, even she left.

It was not until the last footsteps disappeared that she allowed the tears to fall. The girl who had always given her the strength to live. The one who forced her to search for pirates even though they weren’t there. The girl who could understand her better than she understood herself.

“You’ve had the chance to see plenty of pirates now,” Lucie whispered as she remembered all the times her friend dragged her to the docks. Not even the same docks were here anymore.

It felt like her life was crumbling faster than she could build it. So much had happened she had no idea what to think anymore. She couldn’t help but wonder if she could continue to be the same captain of the Lupis Maris.

“What will I do without you?” she whispered to the sea.


	13. Lost Hope

The sensation she felt was unreal as she fell down to the waves that crashed against Blackbeard’s ship. When she hit the water, it felt like knives were slashing her skin, and what didn’t feel cut, felt sore from the impact. All she could register was how fast she was sinking further into the sea. Zinaida struggled to kick to the surface, but was tossed around a lot by the waves. Just before she ran out of breath, she broke the surface and gasped for breath. She coughed out a lot of the disgusting sea water, and tried to stay afloat. It wasn’t in her nature to be scared, so in this situation, it didn’t frighten her that she was in a soaking wet dress in the middle of the ocean. She simply thought of what to do next. A person could only tread water so long. 

Zinaida did a quick scan of the ocean surrounding her. The air was thick with fog. Blackbeard’s ship wasn’t too far off, but she would rather die than board that ship again. She was tired of being a prisoner. For far too long, she was imprisoned inside her house by her family and her “gentlewoman” expectancies. This time, she was going to find her way out of being prisoner.

Her grip tightened on the heavy sword she stole. Her own sword was still somewhere on Blackbeard’s ship, so… what should she do? She didn’t want to leave it behind. Her eyes drifted to the sunset. It wouldn’t be long before everyone on Blackbeard’s ship retired. If she could manage to climb onto the ship while most people were asleep, she could retrieve her sword, but there was no way she could catch up to the ship at the moment. Zinaida was not even sure of where it was going.

Her legs were already a bit tired from swimming. She wouldn’t be able to get back her sword. Instead, she needed to focus on finding land. Birds. She’d heard enough sailor’s tales from men at the ports. One time, some drunk traders were talking about a pirate who was lost at sea and survived by following birds. They generally flew towards land.

Zinaida whirled around in the water to get a 360 view of her surroundings. Through the thick fog, she couldn’t see much. Blackbeard’s ship was already vanishing

She spot a bird flying in the distance to her right. She began to kick towards it, trying to get used to the freezing water. Being raised by two highly religious people, she pondered praying to God. Would that really help her in a situation like this, though? She was skeptical, and was unsure of why. Something told her that wasn’t quite right.

But she knew her odds of survival were very slim. She was wearing a heavy dress and the water was freezing. She would only freeze quicker without its warmth. She wasn’t an amazing swimmer, but thankfully had been taught how (unlike most girls) to swim by her mother. Now that Zinaida thought about it, her mother had taught her a lot of things about survival.

Why was that? As much as she wanted to know, the thought brought up bittersweet memories she rather would leave untouched.

After twenty minutes of swimming, she was incredibly tired. She didn’t want to do it, but… she let go of the sword and took off her dress. If she thought the water was cold before, it was nothing compared to now. Her joints and bones ached and were stiff from lack of blood flow. When the dress was off, her thoughts began to drift.

Was it really her fate to die such a pointless death? Perhaps she should have tried going after Blackbeard’s ship instead and sucked up her pride. Lucie. Lucie would never know what happened to her if she didn’t get back. Just the thought of her friend seemed to give her strength. Lucie wouldn’t mourn Zinaida’s death. There would be no death to mourn.

She continued to think that same thought over and over as she tried to swim harder. The seagull was flying aimlessly now, and it was starting to annoy Zinaida. She stopped to tread water again, but her legs were so sore, she let herself go under for a little bit. When she resurfaced, she shivered at the reminder of the cold water.

She was getting desperate now. There was nothing around her, just the steadily pulsing ocean and that annoying seagull she’d been following.

As a tear slid down her cheek, she wondered what it would be like to fly like the seagull above her. That would be true freedom. If only she could fly, she could fly high enough to see land.

A fuzzy memory from Zinaida’s early childhood resurfaced in her train of thought. Her mother had said something about the gods from the Classical period. She said, “Did you know that your name is Russian for borne of Zeus?”

Zeus. From what she could recall, he was the king of the gods. The Classical gods always sparked a fire in her; a burning curiosity to know more and to learn. 

She suddenly felt a strange urge to pray to the gods she was unfamiliar with. Zeus…this may be rather ridiculous, but I’m desperate. Even if you don’t exist, I suppose this brings me comfort. Please don’t allow me to die out here. I can’t leave everyone I love behind. Not yet. It has to be my destiny to die later. Not here and now. Zinaida prayed silently to the god who may or may not exist. 

Almost instantly, she felt a surge of strength, seemingly out of nowhere. In the sky, another bird became visible, but it certainly wasn’t a seagull. This was a larger bird and it had a brownish hue. Perhaps it was an eagle? She wasn’t sure. The thing she was sure of was that the eagle was a far better “lead” than the seagull.

After having thought that, she began to follow the bird’s flight with her rush of adrenalin.

It didn’t take her long to see an island ahead. This only strengthened her determination, and she persevered.

Zinaida fought her exhaustion until her feet touched the soft sand. Immediately, she gave in to her exhaustion and collapsed halfway in the water.

 

After she woke up, Zinaida realized she wasn’t even wet. Someone must have found her… she could only hope it was someone who she didn’t classify as an enemy. Hesitantly, she sat up and took a look at her surroundings.

“Look who’s awake,” an unfamiliar voice said.

“Oh! That’s good news!” a girl’s voice responded.

A person Zinaida didn’t know came into view. “Hi, I’m Flore. My brothers and I found you on the beach. Are you okay?”

“Where am I?” she asked, glancing around again.

“On our island. The island doesn’t have a name; we were the survivors of a shipwreck a while back… we can’t believe we’ve found another person!”

One of her brothers said, “I’m Doyle. Where’s your ship? How did you end up here?”

They were curious about her… that was obvious. She couldn’t tell them she escaped Blackbeard’s ship, could she? What would they think of her? They might think she was a pirate. On the other hand, their ship had to sink somehow.

“I was taken captive by that bloody pirate Blackbeard. I couldn’t stand being locked up anymore, so I broke free and jumped overboard.”

Her newfound “friends” couldn’t hide their surprise.

“We hate him,” Flore said.

“He sank our ship,” Flore’s other brother said. “I’m Felix, by the way.”

“We want revenge on him,” Doyle said.

“I don’t suppose there’s a way off the island?” Zinaida asked.

“We wouldn’t be here if there was,” Flore answered. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to our group and find you something dry to wear.”

 

Almost a month had passed, and Zinaida grew sad about being stuck there on that island. It was horribly boring, first of all. There was no source of entertainment, hardly anything to explore. The only interesting thing she found was a necklace buried in the sand that no one seemed to want to claim. 

The people on the island were nice, but she didn’t belong amongst them. She knew that no one belonged on a desolate island in the middle of the Atlantic, but she couldn’t help but feel trapped more than the others. True, it was better than Blackbeard’s vessel, but she missed her crew, her friends. Especially Lucie and Clara.

More time went by, and Zinaida lost hope of returning to her friends. She grew closer to the islanders, especially Flore, Theresa, and Heather. She found out that they were all on a ship bound for America to start a new life. They didn’t think they’d be attacked by Blackbeard and ended up starting a new life on a large, abandoned island. On the island, there were a lot more adults than Zinaida had been used to as of late. Flore’s mother, Fawna, was really nice and treated Zinaida as her own daughter.

One night, when Zinaida was in charge of keeping the fire going, she saw the outline of a ship… her heart pounded. Maybe now she would have a chance at finding the Lupis Maris.

“A ship!” she yelled, running happily to her group. “I see a ship!”

Everyone went from half-awake to excited as she pointed out the makings of a ship in the out at sea in the dark night.

“Someone needs to go out there and swim,” an orphaned boy named Devin said.

“Yeah, he’s right!”

“Nobody will see the island at this time a night!”

“I’ll go,” Zinaida said, already stripping down from her “borrowed” heavy brown dress. She could come back for it soon. She picked up a dagger she found on the beach weeks ago. There likely would be a rough group on that ship; she needed to be prepared. She began to head towards the water.

“Zinaida, hold on,” Theresa said, grabbing her arm. “You can’t go swimming out that far!”

“You could die!” Enya, an elderly woman said. “We want you to be safe. You’re just a precious girl, leave the hard work for Richard.”

“I won’t leave this in the hands of a male, I’m strong, I can do this. I’m the fastest swimmer here. I made it to this island without any help. Who knows how far I swam,” she fumed. She was always so stubborn; once she had her mind set, nobody could dissuade her, except maybe Lucie. Even that worked only to an extent.

Zinaida stripped down to just her underdress. She kept a tight grip on her acquired dagger. She ran into the water without any hesitation. The waves were harsh and ridiculously cold. As she grew closer to the ship, she wondered why she felt a sense of familiarity… that is, until she saw the familiar wolf on the masthead. A surge of excitement filled her, and Zinaida started to swim faster than she thought possible at that moment.


	14. The Storm

The girls had moved on from the deaths as much as they could. Zorah hung the portraits of their dead friends in the parlor. At first, the pictures only brought tears but the tears soon turned into resolve. Everyone seemed more motivated. They all trained with their swords more and worked even harder to improve.

Ever since then everyone on the ship had become much closer. They no longer separated themselves into their separate groups. Instead, everyone mingled with each other and generally did their best to enjoy each day.

Although Lucie smiled and captained her ship, she found it difficult to mingle with her crew. Her emotions had numbed. Clara and some of the others who knew her longer tried to console her but sometimes she wanted to be left alone. As the days wore on she allowed herself to smile a little more. She knew she would never get over the loss of her closest friend but that wouldn’t stop her from taking care of her crew.

Most of her time had been spent helping Faith and Alaina become associated with the girls. She spent her days teaching them the basics of sword fighting. Alaina had received one of the the swords from the secret room along with a dress. This one was plain pink satin with cream lace. Faith took one of the extra swords and dresses that Lucie made sure they had. She managed to find ones that fit her well enough.

One day when they were practicing out on the deck, rain started slowly falling from the dark grey clouds above. Lucie looked up at the sky, allowing the rain to fall on her face and soak her clothes. She had always loved the rain. Not many people agreed with her but she found it refreshing. All the other girls had run inside as soon as they felt the first drop, leaving her alone on the deck. Slowly the wind began to pick up and waves started to tower before the ship, threatening to tip it. Lucie decided it was time to head inside before she got swept out to sea. 

Beneath the deck, she found all the girls gathered in the living room. Most were staring fearfully outside. Lucie clapped her hands to bring attention to herself. 

“Before this storm gets any worse I want everyone to make sure that all their things are secure. Then Martina, Elizabeth and Zorah will take care of the kitchen. Clara, Payton, Faith, Alaina and I will be down in the hold. The rest of you will take care of the other rooms up here. Are there any questions?” There was a silence that she took as a no. “Then get to work.” She then led the way down into the hold.

Despite the fact that most of the soldiers seemed to think the girls were pirates not everyone apparently believed it. In the past couple months Lucie and Clara had still managed to find someone who was willing to do business. Ensuring that the hold was still full of items to trade.

“Whoa this place actually looks clean,” Clara’s eyes widened.

Even though Lucie herself was usually an organized person. She never had the time to keep the hold that way. Even when she tried to tell the other girls to help it never stayed. But today when they entered the crates were stacked together neatly and organized by what item they held.

“Payton has been coming down here recently,” Lucie said. “I imagine she’s the one who cleaned it up.”

Payton put her hands on her hip, “I didn’t think you noticed.”

“Of course I did,” Lucie said. “I can’t seem to keep this place clean myself so I would be grateful if you would do it.”

“Aye captain,” Payton saluted her. Then she picked up a rope to tie down a nearby crate. Lucie moved to help her. Alaina and Faith quietly went to work on a different stack of crates and Clara began stack some crates that had already fallen.

“Don’t call me captain,” Lucie muttered annoyed. She didn’t like it when any of the girls were so formal with her but of course they did it simply to be annoying.

“Get used to it,” Clara laughed, “you are the captain.”

Lucie glared at her, “No need to remind me.”

“Can I have these maps?” Alaina asked from across the room. She was rifling through one of the boxes that tipped over because of the storm. None of the girls knew how to read the maps so it got shoved into a corner and forgotten.

“You know how to read them,” Lucie walked over to where Alaina had spread out one of the maps on the floor.

“My father taught me,” Alaina was tracing her finger along some of the countries.

“Well feel free to use them,” she said.

Suddenly the door slammed open and she heard two sets of footsteps on the stairs. Both Ember and Cecile barreled straight at Lucie. The two girls were crying and clinging tightly onto her dress. The other girls went to finish tying down all the crates while Lucie steered the them into a corner and sat down on the floor.

“What’s wrong?” Lucie asked but it was drowned out by the thunder. This storm was going to be a bad one.

“The ships not going to sink is it?” Cecile sniffed.

“At home I saw ships sink on stormy days like today,” Ember said. “It’s going to sink isn’t it?” Lucie remembered that the port where they picked up the girls had been very rocky. She was not surprised that they were so afraid.

She hugged the girls tighter, “This ship won’t sink. No matter how long this storm lasts.”

“How do you know?” Ember asked.

“Because the wolf won’t let us die as long as we are on the ship. She will keep us safe.” Lucie assured them. Although she had to admit, the storm did unnerve her a bit but she never liked lightning all that much.

“Are you sure?” they asked together.

“Of course,” she stood them up and pulled them up from the floor. “Let’s go see how the preparations are going upstairs.”

 

This storm dragged on for a week. Maybe longer. Lucie had never been good with time. Most the crew had gotten seasick from the constant tossing of the ship. Lucie was one of the few who were unaffected.

"How's the crew doing?" Lucie asked, as she walked into the kitchen where Clara was making breakfast.

"Most of them are starting to feel better," Clara said. "Elizabeth and Ember are the only ones still feeling a little seasick."

"Well let's hope this storm ends soon," Lucie replied. “Some of them are getting restless from being inside so long.”

Together the girls loaded bowls on a tray to give to the sick girls. They left the kitchen and headed over to the crew’s cabin. It was a very big room and capable of fitting everyone comfortably. The cots were strung up along the wall to keep the center open. Each girl had a small dresser to hold their personal belongings. Ember was sleeping so Lucie left her food on a table nearby. Clara handed her tray to Elizabeth who was still very pale. She quietly left the room so she didn’t disturb any of the girls.

Out in the parlor some of the girls were practicing with their swords. As long as they didn’t cut up the furniture, Lucie would rather they were entertaining themselves than annoying her. There was one girl who didn’t look like she was enjoying herself. Alaina ran towards her from the other side of the room. She looked extremely worried.

"Have you seen Faith?" Alaina asked. "I can’t find her."

"You sure?" Lucie replied.

“I ran around the whole ship, but haven’t seen her anywhere.” Alaina sounded worried.

"Come on," Lucie ran past the stairs that led outside. She stopped suddenly and walked back to the stairs. At the top, Payton was standing in the doorway screaming out into the storm. Lucie ran up and pushed her out of the way of the door to see out.

"She took your keys and just ran out..." Payton was breathless just from standing in the doorway.

Lucie looked out at the rocking deck and spotted Faith making her way to the other side of the ship. Quickly, she ran out into the rain, slipping multiple times on the icy deck. One time she fell and slammed her shoulder hard on the deck. Ignoring the pain, she stood back up and continued running towards faith. The wind tore her hair out of it’s braid. The rain stung her face and she struggled to see through the storm.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Lucie yelled when she finally reached the girl. Faith didn't answer, but continued moving forward. She grabbed the girl’s wrist and forced her to stop. One hand was on the rail as she tried to keep herself from falling into the sea. "Tell me why we have to be standing out here in the rain!?"

Faith said nothing but yanked her arm away and continued to walk forward. She didn’t seem angry. No it not anger but something else. Lucie tried to call out to the girl again but a wave rolled over the deck filling her mouth with salt water and sweeping her away. Even though she was an excellent swimmer, Lucie struggled to find the surface. If it weren’t for the rope Lupis had wisely tied around her waist she would have drowned. The ship pulled both them out of the water and deposited them on the deck in front of the door.

“Thanks Lupis," she told the ship, grateful to be alive.

Alaina and Payton pulled them inside from the doorway. The door closed behind them and locked. Everyone stood there for a moment breathing very hard.

“What in the world are you doing?!” Clara yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

“Enjoying the nice weather,” Lucie smiled.

“Right,” she said. “Get in the kitchen so you can dry off.”

Lucie looked down at her dress which she expected to be soaked but it was completely dry. Besides the fact that her hair was a mess, it didn’t even look like she had been out in the storm. None of the other girls seemed to notice the strange fact as they trudged into the kitchen. Only Clara looked at her weirdly but Lucie just shrugged.

“I’m going to grab you some dry clothes,” Clara said before leaving the kitchen. “Don’t think about going back out into the storm.”

They pulled chairs up to the fire and sat around it in silence. Alaina tried to wring some of the water out of her dress. There was a puddle of water around her chair as a result. Beside her, Faith sat motionlessly. She didn’t speak and Lucie didn’t force her.

“Why are you dry?” Payton suddenly asked. Breaking the silence that had hung thickly around the room. All three girls stared at her and Lucie leaned back in her chair trying to hide how uncomfortable she felt. She didn’t like the way they looked at her.

She shrugged, “don’t ask me.”

Luckily she was spared from any more questions when Clara walked in with an armful of dresses. She handed them out the the girls so they could change. The two girls hung the wet dresses over the fire so they could dry.

“What in the world could drive you to be out in that storm?” Lucie crossed her arms.

Faith looked at the floor ashamed. Payton and Alaina took a sudden interest in the fire as they pretended not to hear anything. Lucie and Clara waited in silence for someone to talk.

“Blackbeard came to us a while ago,” she said. “We were poor girls without a home so he offered us money if only we would spy on you. For the last few months we had been watching you from the crowd. Every time we saw you, we would report back to him. We were the ones who led the soldiers to your ship a while ago and we were the ones who led the pirates to your friend. We didn’t know she would jump off the ship.”

“We’re sorry,” Alaina added.

Lucie didn’t speak for a moment. It was no wonder Blackbeard was so ready to give them to her. But they hadn’t told the whole story. There was still something they were leaving out. Even Payton was looking uncomfortable.

“Were you in on this too?” she asked Payton.

The girl didn’t speak but Lucie got the message. She had to admit she was angry. It was these girls who got her friend killed but she couldn’t totally blame them. Clara watched silently from her chair. Although it wasn’t obvious, Lucie could tell she was angry as well.

“There’s something else isn’t there?” she finally asked.

All three girls shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Payton burst into tears. No one went to comfort her as they waited for an answer.

Finally Alaina spoke, “Flore and I have a younger brother who is being held captive… and so does Payton.” The other two girls glared at Alaina but she just shrugged. “We didn’t mind giving Blackbeard information at first. We had heard about how you killed people and thought you were like the other pirates. It was when we saw you mourn for your dead crewmates that I realized you cared.”

“You are so kind,” Payton said. “I saw how you cared for each and every member of your crew. Even the ones you barely knew. After that I didn’t want to betray you anymore but I can’t leave my brother to die.”

“We won’t,” Lucie got up from her chair and stood in front of the fire. “We will rescue them from Blackbeard.”

“That’s suicide!” Faith exclaimed.

“Maybe, but I can’t sit still while that man is out there making people’s lives miserable,” Lucie clenched her fist. “We will find a way to beat him.”

The three girls stared at her in awe but Lucy knew she had not done anything to deserve it. She had taken countless lives to save her own but no matter how many bodies piled up she would do everything to protect her crew.

“Go get some rest,”Lucie told them. “When the storm is over we will talk more.”


	15. The Islanders

“Hey, Lucie!” Zinaida called her name from down the street. “Are you out shopping again!?”

Lucie laughed as her best friend caught up to her. “It turns out I didn’t buy enough last time. My bothers eat more food than my mother and I could cook.”

Her friend laughed, “Let me help then. I’m sure you’re going to need the extra hands.”

“Thanks,” Lucie smiled.

They walked down the streets of Clovelly together. The market was busy that day and they spent much of their time shoving their way through the crowd. She always enjoyed every moment she had to spend with her best friend. The two girls spent their time looking at the different stalls. They admired the beautiful jewelry and dresses they came across. All of it was too flashy for their tastes and way too expensive but it was fun to look at.

At the end of the day they finally bought the food Lucie needed. Together they walked back to Lucie’s house. Their smiles never faded. Not even when the sun sank below the horizon.

Back at home Lucie’s mother was already cooking food on the stove. Her father was trying to keep her brothers from eating all the berries already set out. He gave Lucie a big hug when she entered the door and took the packages from her arms.

James had set the table for dinner and her mother began to dish out food on the plates. Lucie and Zinaida sat at the table. Her stomach growled at the sight of food.

“How was the market today?” her mother asked.

“It was great,” Lucie said. “There were so many pretty dresses there.”

“Yes,” Zinaida agreed. “There was one that looked like it was on fire!”

Her friend began describe the dress and Lucie thought she could really feel the fire through her words. She glanced at the fireplace remembering how very real the flames on the dress looked. With wide eyes she realized flames were not staying within their stone confines like they were supposed to. They spread along the floor slowly crawling towards the table. The flames began to lick at the walls of her house. No one else seemed to notice it. Lucie watched as the fire crawled over to the table. She tried to speak. Tried to warn them but no sound would come out.

The fire burned through her family and her friend as if they were no more than paper. She jumped out of her chair and tried to save them but no matter what she did they burned. Their bodies became ashes between her fingers. They smiled the whole time as if nothing was wrong. The fire never touched her. She couldn’t even feel it’s heat but it burned them into nothingness.

Lucie woke up in her bed screaming the words her dream wouldn’t allow. Her sheets had tangled around her and she found it impossible to breathe. After she calmed down a little, she untangled herself from her bed and wandered outside so the cool night air could fill her lungs. The dream burned in her mind, only reminding her of all she had lost.

"Nice night tonight." Lucie jumped. She has been so entranced in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the girl approach. At first she couldn’t believe her eyes. She recognized the long blond hair and clear blue eyes. The girl was only wearing a thin underdress which was dripping wet. Water pooled on the deck at her feet.

"Zinaida?" she asked uncertainly.

"Who else?" Zinaida replied smiling.

"I..I thought you were dead..." Lucie stuttered still not sure if she was dreaming or not.

"Did you really think I would die that easily?" Zinaida smiled as she spoke.

“I should have known better,” she rolled her eyes at the stubborn girl but she couldn’t keep herself from smiling. "I missed you," Lucie whispered tears sliding down her cheeks. Zinaida stepped forward and squeezed Lucie in a tight hug.

"I didn't want to make you cry," she whispered into her friend's ear. Lucie couldn't reply but she buried her head into Zinaida's shoulder. After a few minutes, Lucie finally stopped crying and pulled herself out of the hug.

"You’re soaked," she said looking down at the front of her own dress which was now damp. "You should get changed."

"I will but first you should steer the ship towards that island." Zinaida pointed out at a thin line that could just be seen. The Lupis Maris started to head towards it as soon as she finished talking. "There are many islanders stranded on that beach. When we saw the ship, I swam out to tell you to bring the ship over to that island. Of course, I couldn’t tell that it was the Lupis Maris."

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Lucie said. “Let’s head back to your room so you can change into some dry clothes.”

Zinaida followed her back inside. Lucie hadn’t been able to bring herself to clean out her friends room so everything was where she left it. It was really dusty though.

"Is that my sword?" Zinaida frowned as she picked it up from the table.

"Oh yeah," she scratched her head, "The pirates gave it to us as proof they captured you."

“The pirates took it away when they captured me.” Zinaida said turning the sword over so it glowed in the moonlight. Then she picked up the letter beneath it. “I thought they still had it.”

Zinaida opened up the letter and began to read it. Lucie waited in silence till her friend finished. When she did she folded up the letter and put it back on the table.

“So Kirill survived the fire?” Zinadia smiled. “I thought we were the only ones left.”

“There were actually quite a few survivors,” Lucie told her. While her friend changed clothes she described what had happened since she was captured. It was hard to tell her about the deaths and Lucie tried not to cry.

“It’s not you fault,” Zinaida said. “We all agreed to do this together. Don’t blame yourself too hard. They knew the risks and came right along anyway. If there is anyone to blame, it is the ones who killed them.”

Lucie smiled, “Of course you would say that.”

 

By dawn, everyone was awake and ready to hear Zinaida’s tale. She told them of how Blackbeard had outnumbered her, therefore easily captured her, all the way to when she arrived on the island. All the girls listened excitedly and when the story was over they bombarded her with questions. Lucie was glad to see the crew excited again after the storm that had nearly taken some of their lives. Even the new girls were excited to meet the legendary first mate that they had heard so much about. As Zinaida was distracted by most of the crew, Lucie couldn’t help but notice the few girls hanging at the back.

Smiling, Lucie walked over to where Zinaida was standing and cleared her throat, “Here’s a few more of our members you have yet to meet.” Lucie waved her hand for the three to come over. “This is Faith and her sister, Alaina and their friend Payton.” She motioned to each girl in turn.

“Nice to meet you!” Zinaida smiled warmly. “I’m glad you decided to join us!”

“We are happy to be here,” Faith replied speaking for the three of them but her voice shook. She seemed uncertain of herself. “And to finally meet you. Everyone has been telling us stories about you and Lucie.”

As Zinaida continued to answer questions from the crew Lucie pulled herself away and went to stand by the masthead. They were slowly approaching the island and it would be a while until they were close enough to dock. Soon Zinaida and Clara joined her on the forecastle. Lucie still found it hard to believe that her friend was here with her.

“Do you think these people would be able to accept the fact that the crew is only made up of girls?” Lucie asked feeling a little uneasy about meeting them.

“I don’t think they would care, they’ve been on the island so long,” Zinaida replied confidently.

Despite what her friend says Lucie still felt a little anxious. At this point she was wary of anyone who was a stranger but if her friend said they were safe then she would trust that opinion. Still, she wondered what this meeting would bring.

A splash was heard from beside the ship, and Lucie saw Zinaida’s dress lying on the deck. All the other girls were crowded to the side where she must have jumped. 

“She decided to go swimming, again,” Lucie muttered to herself, smiling.

“Hey, Lucie!” Zinaida called from the water. “Let’s race!” 

She glanced over the edge to see the crazy girl swimming strongly alongside the ship. Without hesitating she pulled off her dress to join her friend. She gasped at the feeling of the cold water, but Zinaida didn't give her any time to breathe before she began swimming to shore. Lucie immediately followed after her, swimming strongly enjoying the nice, cool water. At first Zinaida was ahead, but she caught up easily. For a few seconds, Lucie matched Zinaida’s pace, remembering the many summers they spent swimming together. Then she started to pull away speeding ahead. When she finally reached the shallow water, Lucie stood up about waist deep and ran the rest of the way to shore.

“I won!” she yelled once Zinaida finally reached her. In reply Zinaida tried to grab Lucie and pull her back into the water. Lucie screamed and dashed off into the forest trying to stay out of the girls reach. For a while, she managed to stay ahead until Zinaida appeared from behind a tree and Lucie ran straight into her. Both girls toppled to the ground giggling.

“Come on,” Zinaida pulled Lucie up, “you should meet my island friends.”

Still laughing, they ran back through the forest until the beach came back into view. Clara turned as the girls stumbled out of the forest, still a bit breathless from their run. Not to mention they were both very dirty and still dripping wet.

“I brought your dresses and swords from the ship,” the girl said simply. She made no comments, but handed the girls their things. They cleaned themselves off in the water and then put their dresses back on. Not bothering with trying to dry themselves. The sun would do that. By this time both the islanders and the crew had gathered on the beach. Everyone was uneasy.

An elderly woman stepped out of the crowd and walked up to Zinaida, “It’s fine that you finally brought a ship to our island, but where are the men that are supposed to help us?” she asked. Lucie shifted uneasily but she didn’t know what to say.

Zinaida snorted, “There are no men on this ship. She’s the captain.” She pointed towards Lucie, “and they are the crew.” She waved at the rest of the girls “I’m the first mate.”

“My name is Lucie Clark,” she introduced herself. “I am an old friend of Zinaida.”

The old woman huffed and stepped back into the crowd. Another younger woman emerged. She was much kinder and smiled warmly at the girls.

“I am Fawna and we are the people stranded on the island by Blackbeard,” the woman said, though even she seemed critical about whether the girls could help them or not.

“Nice to meet you,” Lucie smiled.

Fawna’s expression became uneasy, “Why are there no men on your ship? Surely it’s too dangerous for girls to sail by themselves.”

"To hate men would be saying a little too much…” Lucie began. “I think it’s because we don’t want to live beneath their shadows anymore. We don’t want to be controlled by the society they control. This ship is our freedom from them.”

Now the woman looked more bewildered, “How do you manage to sail that ship with only girls?” she asked. “I can’t imagine it being very easy.”

“That’s a secret,” Zinaida and Lucie said in unison. The crowd was not satisfied with the answer, but no one said anything.

Finally, one boy piped up, "What about when the pirates come after you? I bet you girls would just cower and hide."

Zinaida sent him one of her infamous death glares. The boy cowered before saying, “Then again, if all of you are half as scary as her...” Lucie didn’t miss the smug smirk that appeared across her friend’s face.

Lucie's smile faded to a frown as she thought of the many pirates that died by her hands. Then about the soldiers of the British Navy they ended up killing. She wondered how many more people would die before it ended.

The two girls girls glanced at each other before looking out at the crowed, "It would be a lie to say that we have not killed any pirates..." Lucie began reluctantly though she was not sure if anyone would believe her words, "but from the very moment we stole the Lupis Maris from Blackbeard, we became his enemies. It became necessary to kill the pirates who came after us."

"But we didn't just kill the ones who came after us," Clara stepped in staring at the silent crowd. "We have also gone after pirates and killed them. You could almost say we are pirates." 

Lucie was not sure why they were being so truthful to the islanders. Knowing this the islanders may refuse their help but it also didn’t feel right to keep this from them. The islanders took the news in silence. They don’t talk much, Lucie thought as she stood awkwardly at the front of the crowd.

"We have been on this island far too long to turn down your offer." Fawna finally broke the silence.

Lucie nodded then looked towards Clara. "How are we doing on food and water? While we are here we should make sure we stock up on supplies."

“With the amount of people we are adding to our ship we will need more supplies," she answered. “It would be better if we stayed a few days to collect what we need.”

Lucie turned to her crew so she could give out orders, "Elizabeth and Ember, you two will go with Clara to refill the water." She turned around to face the Islanders again. "We need one of you to show them where the fresh water is. Does anyone want to volunteer?” She asked.

One of the girls bravely stepped forward, “My name is Theresa and I can help you with the water,” she said.

“Right, then now for food.” Lucie turned around to the girls. “Zinaida will take half of you to gather food. The rest of us will stay and clean the ship, in the afternoon we have more practice. Be there!”

Lucie split the crew up between the food gatherers and the cleaners. After the last storm some of the sails needed to be repaired and the ship could be aired out a little. This was the perfect chance to do just that.

The group of islanders dispersed themselves but a few stayed to watch. Clara had already gone off the retrieve the water leaving Lucie and Zinaida’s groups there. She didn’t show it but Lucie was feeling very uneasy about the whole situation. Especially by the way the islanders watched them.

“They don’t seem very friendly,” Lucie spoke keeping her voice low so the others don’t hear.

“They’re just not use to strangers,” Zinaida replied back in the same manner. “They’ll warm up. You’ll see.”

“I hope so,” she muttered.


	16. Alec

The next week was spent preparing for their voyage. First, the ship was inspected inside and out. Sails were taken down, the hold was put back together and water containers were patched up. The hauled the carpets out from below to clean them. Zinaida took down the flag she made after the stole the ship and added a little crossbones beneath the moon.

“I thought we should make it more official,” Zinaida said.  
They also worked to restock the food and water. The girls had a chance to learn archery both on the trees and on live prey. Flore, who was an amazing archer, taught the girls how to shoot. Most of them were decent at first but they all improved rapidly. Many were able to hunt animals in the forest, like Zinaida. Lucie, however; was the worst archer of the crew. Eventually even Flore gave up on trying to teach her, but she didn't stop. Even though she only managed to hit the target a few times, she kept trying.

Other than archery, Lucie, Zinaida and Clara also took the time to train the new girls a little more in sword fighting. After the little episode in the rain, Alaina seemed much more into practicing and was improving greatly. That was nothing compared to Payton who was already almost on the same level as all the other girls. She could definitely hold her own in a match against Clara. Faith was also improving day by day and Lucie was glad she had such skilled girls among her crew. They may even be able to defeat Blackbeard some day, if only he did not have the rest of his fleet with him.

A few of the islander girls decided to join in as well. Flore, Heather and Theresa were all debating on whether they should join the crew or not. Clara decided to give them lessons so they may better understand what life on the Lupis Maris would mean. From what she could tell, Lucie thought all three of them would be formidable fighters and would fit right in with the other girls.

Out of all the islanders, there were only a few men who had survived the pirates. The men didn't bother the girls much and, after a while, didn’t seem to mind the fact that the crew was only female either.

At first most of the islanders kept their distance. It took them time to become use to the help that they expected to come from men actually came from girls. Only the few that Zinaida befriended would approach them at first. The rest took their time to warm up to the girls but Lucie suspected that some never really did.

The boys on the island were a whole different matter. Most of them were arrogant and thought they could beat any pirate out there. It seemed any time anyone was searching for the boys they were grouped up somewhere claiming to be making plans to protect the island. None of the girls ever saw them do much protecting.

The “leader” of them all was a tough looking boy named Alec who was at least a few years older than Lucie. His father died in the pirate attack and his only family still alive there was his grandmother. A sword hung at his side in which he claimed that his father gave him for his birthday. Lucie had never actually seen him wield it so she was unsure about how much skill he actually had. Often times he would rudely make some comment about how girls can’t fight, but mostly Lucie ignored it. Zinaida, however, was a different story.  
“Keep your guard up!” Lucie yelled at Flore as she watched her match with Heather. Clara was drilling Theresa some ways off and a few of the other girls were practicing with each other while Zinaida watched them.

“Hey!” Alec yelled, heading towards them from across the beach. “Why do you girls even bother learning how to fight? Everyone knows girls are too weak to do much more than housework. I bet none of you have ever even seen a pirate!” Lucie flinched at that comment. She couldn’t help but remember all the times she faced those horrible pirates. Zinaida did not miss her reaction to the boy’s words.

“Who's to say you’ve seen one!” Zinaida hissed, marching straight towards the older boy. All the other girls had stopped practicing and watched with interest as the argument developed. “You didn’t watch as your whole town was burned slowly to ashes while everyone else inside was killed! Did you?!”

The teenage boy looked startled at how she spoke to him, but then more annoyed. “I bet you stood by and did nothing. Girls are weak. Leave the fighting to us men,” he said smugly.

Lucie frowned, recalling that she really hadn’t done anything to protect anyone... Back then she really was a weak girl. Even now, after everything that happened, she was weak. She looked back at Zinaida and saw her blue eyes burn with anger.

“Don’t you dare pretend to know us or me! I dare you to come pick a fight with me, boy. You are no man. You are scum and no better than the pirates that have fallen to my blade.” The air felt electric, like lightning was about to hit down on the poor teenager.

Lucie, who now only felt amused by her friend, sat down to watch the fight with a smile on her face. Alec would probably get what was coming to him. All the other girls gathered around Lucie. They wanted to watch the fight as well.

“Are you sure you can handle it? I wouldn’t want to hurt a girl,” he smocked, and his friends laughed.

Zinaida unsheathed her sword. “I’m not a coward like you. Come, prove you can beat me. If you do, I’ll do whatever chores you want me to do for a day. If I win, you have to get down on your hands and knees, beg for our forgiveness, and do our chores.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Alec said.

“It’s only hard if you lose,” she pointed out. “And you say I’m just a girl. I should be no problem to someone like you,” she added sarcastically.

Lucie stifled her laughter. Alec seemed to be lying about every word he said. It would be quite entertaining to watch Zinaida bring him down to his knees.

“Fine. I accept,” he said. With shaky, unstable hands, he brought out his sword from its sheathe. It was just a moment but Lucie saw a flash of uncertainty on his face.  
“Well, what are you waiting for? Attack me,” Zinaida commanded.

Alec was angry as he ran towards her, swinging around the sword with no fluidity. Zinaida smirked as she side stepped and tripped him. Smugly, she pointed the tip of her sword near his throat. “I’ve already won, you know,” she said. He swung his sword clumsily to clash against hers.

“No, you haven’t!” he yelled, clearly frustrated. When he came at her again, she blocked and punched his stomach. With her sword, she sliced his knee. It wasn’t fatal, but it would sting rather badly.

The poor boy fell to the ground and dropped his sword. Once again, Zinaida stood over him with her sword at his neck.

“Girls are not weak. I am stronger than you. Now apologize on your knees before I give you a list of girl chores to do for us,” she said unmercifully. She pushed back her blonde hair and sheathed her sword. 

He was hesitant at first, but he looked up to her and grumbled, “I’m sorry I called you weak.”

Some of the girls giggled at the dejected look on his face. “Looks like we have an extra pair of hands now.” Lucie stood up and walked over to where Alec still sat on the ground. 

“Why don’t you go help Clara cook dinner.” she said glancing at the sky. It was about that time anyways.

“I guess that’s my signal to go,” Clara said, sheathing her sword. She walked off towards the ship and Alec just stared after her stupidly.

“What are you waiting for?!” Zinaida yelled at him, making Alec jump, then run after Clara. “Follow her.”

“Report back to me after dinner!” Lucie yelled after the stumbling boy.

The other boys stared dumbly at the girls. Their shocked expressions slowly transformed into fear. The girls were no longer people they could just sit and laugh at. One glare from Zinaida sent them all running down the beach.

“That was fun,” Zinaida smiled. Lucie laughed and then turned her attention back to the other girls who continued to practice sword fighting.

A few minutes later Lucie stopped the practice and the girls wandered back towards the ship to wait for dinner. On the ship, she walked down to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could help with. The smell of burnt food wafted from the kitchen and immediately she knew something was wrong. She opened the door and stepped into the kitchen.

“What happened here?” Lucie said, choking on the smell.

“I don’t even know...” Clara replied shaking her head sadly. “I just told him to pour some veggies in the pot and I don’t know...”

“Ummm, okay.” Lucie looked around confused. “Alec why don’t you go back to the other islanders for now.” He nodded and slowly walked away. “Come in tomorrow after breakfast and I will put you to work.” Alec nodded again and exited the kitchen.

“That didn’t last,” Clara said as they watched the boy go. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“He lost the fight, didn’t he?” she said aloud, but inwardly Lucie was wondering the same thing.

The next day was no better. The first task Lucie put him to was to help her with the washing and drying. She grabbed the clothes that needed to be washed and led the way down to the river. Lucie showed Alec how to properly wash the clothes and then gave him a pile to wash. A little later, Zinaida came down to see how they were doing.

“Hi, Lucie!” she said happily.

“Hi, Zinaida,” Lucie said, “you seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Well it’s not everyday you see a boy try to do our chores,” she teased. “I heard he burned the dinner last night.” Lucie giggled a little and Alec looked down at the dress he was scrubbing, embarrassed. Suddenly, a loud rip came from the dress in his hands and Lucie eyes immediately sought out what had ripped. Luckily, it was only at the seam and easy to fix, but it was a big tear and would take a while to fix up.

“Tell me that’s not my dress he just ripped,” Zinaida growled. The dress he was holding certainly was Zinaida’s. “You are going to come back with me, and you are going to fix that.” She grabbed her dress and marched right back to their ship with Alec slowly following behind. 

Lucie sighed. All the poor boy seemed to ever do was mess things up. She hoped the rest of the day was not going to be like this. Quickly, she finished washing up the rest of the dresses and headed back towards the ship, just to make sure her friend didn’t go too far...

“You did not just get blood on my dress!” Zinaida yelled so loud Lucie was sure Blackbeard could hear her from wherever he was at the moment. Alec shrank back in his chair out of fear.

“What happened now?” Lucie sighed, a little annoyed.

“He pricked his finger with the needle and now he’s dripping blood all over my dress!” Zinaida yelled again. She yanked her dress away from his grasp and began to sew it up herself. “That boy’s useless,” She seemed to mutter more to herself than anyone else in the room.

“Come on,” Lucie said to Alec, “You can help me hang up these clothes to dry.” There’s no way he could mess that up she thought to herself. Of course she didn’t know how wrong she was.

At first, everything was fine and uneventful but when they finally had almost all the clothes hung up, Alec dropped one of the dresses. As he bent over to pick it up, he somehow managed to knock about half of the other clothes off the line. Lucie sighed, this guy was the most talentedly clumsy person she has ever known. She picked up a stocking lying on the ground, now muddy from the dirt. Great, now she had to rewash all these clothes. Lucie began to gather all the re-dirtied clothes and put them in the basket. Maybe she will ask one of the other girls to wash those later.

“What did he do this time?” Zinaida walked up to them with her freshly washed dress.

Lucie glanced at Alec standing awkwardly at the corner of her eye. “He somehow knocked all these clothes off the clothesline.” She replied standing back up.

Zinaida looked at Alec with an expression that was beyond annoyed. “Is sword fighting the best thing you can do?”

"Well he certainly has not been able to do anything else," Lucie snorted. She picked up the wash basket and started to walk back down to the river.

Zinaida was about to follow her when Alec said, "Wait.” Both Zinaida and Lucie turned around to see what he wanted. To their surprise, the boy went down on his knees right in front of Zinaida. “W-would you,” he stuttered, “would you train me to use my sword?” Lucie stood still, shocked by what she heard. She had not expected him of all people to actually ask her friend such a question. Zinaida didn’t say anything for a minutes, allowing the chatter of birds to fill the silence.

Suddenly she smiled and said, “This might be fun.”

“You look like you’re already enjoying it,” Lucie was not sure if she should be amused or wary.

“Okay, I will train you.” Zinaida's smile changed to something a little more mysterious, “Let’s see how well you learn.”

Lucie smiled as her friend dashed off to the beach where most the sword fighting took place. Alec followed with giddy excitement that she was sure would disappear in about an hour. The boy had no idea what he was getting himself into. She sighed and went back down to the river for the second time that day to rewash the laundry.


	17. Demigods

"They're still at it!" Lucie exclaimed. Alec and Zinaida had started practice sometime that morning. With exception of meal breaks they had been at each other all say. She was surprised that Alec had not quit. Zinaida was certainly not going easy on him.

"I’ve been watching them for hours," Payton sighed. "Alec's gonna be really sore tomorrow and terribly bruised."

"You got that right," Martina snorted. Now that all the chores were done for the day, everyone had gathered on the beach to watch as Zinaida "trained" Alec. Lucie sat down along  
beside them,only to see if Alec had truly improved.

“I have never seen a girl fight so hard,” Andre, one of Alec’s companions, said in awe.

“We’ve been through a lot,” Lucie smiled sadly. “I think that goes for everyone on our ship. All of have seen the tragedy’s brought down by pirates yet somehow we still stand and fight.”

Alaina turned towards Lucie. "You know we've been wondering..." she began.

"Wondering what?" the whole crew was watching them now and Lucie fidgeted beneath their attention.

"Well, I know Zinaida is a amazing sword fighter, but so are you. We were wondering which one of you is better." Payton finished. She watched as Alec scrambled after his sword for the third time since she arrived.

"I don't know," Lucie finally answered, "It's been a long time since we last dueled each other. I’m sure we have both improved since then." Lucie lay back on the sand and closed her eyes. She remembered when they first learned how to use their swords. It always felt so natural to fight with her weapon.

"Hey, Lucie!" Zinaida yelled, standing over her now. "Are you listening?"

"What?" she asked, opening one eye to the glare of the sun.

"So you weren't listening," Zinaida sighed.

“Sorry,” Lucie muttered. “What were you saying?”

“I asked if you wanted to duel,” Zinaida sounded agitated.

Lucie took the time to stand up and brush the sand off her dress before replying. “Sure, why not?”

The girls walked out away from the crowd and took up their positions. Lucie noticed that Alec was standing beside the other girls to watch as well. Curiosity was written in the eye of everyone who sat on the edge of the sand.

"Watch your opponent!" Zinaida shouted mid-swing, when she realized Lucie was not completely focused on the duel. She barely dodged in time but after that she completely focused on the fight. Zinaida swung again, but she was easily to able block this one. Both girls jumped back away from each other to judge the best direction of attack.  
Zinaida smiled and Lucie attacked this time. Zinaida dodged and immediately turned around with a counter attack. The swords flew again and again. The battle continued and the other girls watched as Lucie and Zinaida danced around throwing up sand with their feet. It was really difficult to tell who would win. The whole time, Lucie was determined to keep her ground as Zinaida attacked relentlessly. They were both breathing hard, but both were too stubborn to back down.

They twisted and turned and the clang of swords rang throughout the island. Lucie never gave Zinaida the chance to try and twist her sword out of her grasp. As their match went on, Lucie began to wonder if either one of them would win. Again, she dodged a blow from Zinaida and then tried to off balance the girl. Still, neither succeeded at bringing down the other as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. 

Finally, Lucie’s clumsiness took over as she stumbled over a rock and fell flat on her back. Taking her chance, Zinaida pressed her sword up to Lucie’s. The older girl had won the match.

“I can be so clumsy sometimes,” Lucie sighed, still breathing hard. “We should have a rematch soon.”

“That was fun,” Zinaida agreed as she helped Lucie up.

“That was amazing!” Ember yelled, halfway across the island. The other girls started clapping and cheering while the boys just stared at them in awe.

“Stop sitting there like idiots,” Zinaida snapped, particularly at the boys. “It’s time we got back to work.” She turned around and began to walk away.

Lucie looked back at the girls who were still sitting. “Come on,” she said and then turned to run after Zinaida. The other girls slowly followed them home.

 

The next morning, Lucie had all the girls running all over the ship to make sure they had everything. Clara was in the kitchen most of the time taking inventory over the food and water. Sometimes, she would send Cecile or Ember out to gather more food or herbs or to throw out whatever had gone bad.

Lucie, along with Alaina and Payton, were walking up and down from the hold carrying cots up for the islanders to one of the extra rooms. Martina, Zorah, Elizabeth and surprisingly Alec was there setting them up. For once, Alec did not mess anything up and was actually a great help.

Zinaida, along with the rest of the crew, was down helping the islanders prepare to leave. As they packed up the little belongings they had, she would put out all the fires built at their camp. Then she would walk around to each hut to see if anyone needed help. Theresa and Flore watched all the young kids as the adults were busy cleaning up and did their best to keep them busy. 

Finally by mid-day, everyone was ready to go. Lucie showed the islanders down to their rooms and helped them get set up on their cots. She had Alaina and Payton run down to the hold to grab more if it was needed. Alec and Zorah continued to put them up till finally there were enough for everyone.

Lucie then walked over to the kitchen to make sure Clara was also prepared to leave. Clara, Ember and Cecile were sitting around the table talking excitedly about the trip to come. Soon as she confirmed that everything in the kitchen was ready, Lucie walked up to the top deck and watched as Zinaida helped the last few people onto the ship. Once she confirmed everyone had safely boarded, she felt she could finally take a deep breath. After staying a week on the island she was glad to sail out to sea again.

"Alright, Lupis, we are ready to go," she told the wolf. In a few seconds, ropes began to swing around as they let down the sails free and the anchor lifted itself out of the depths of the sea. It didn't take long before they were sailing again..

"Wow," Flore gasped, mesmerized by the moving ropes. “Did you do that?”

"That was not me," Lucie laughed. "The ship does it by itself."

"How?" Flore asked staring at the sails still amazed.

"This ship is no normal ship," Lucie said simply.

"There's more to this ship than meets the eye," Alec said, walking up from the lower decks. "If you think about it, the ship looks bigger on the inside than it does on the outside. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but the inside really does look bigger."

Lucie shrugged. “Magic maybe? There's a lot about this ship I don’t even know."

“Like what?” Flore asked.

“Well, I heard a story about this ship once,” Lucie began. “Apparently, there used to be another crew of girls on this ship, but one day, they just disappeared without a trace. I think after that, the pirates took over.”

“You mean there was no sign of them?” Flore asked.

“Well, all their clothes and other stuff was still in there, but there was no sign of any of the girls their and weapons could not be found anywhere either.”

“What kind of weapons did these girls use?” Theresa, who had apparently been listening in on the conversation, asked.

“I think they used swords and bows and arrows as well.” Lucie responded after thinking for a few seconds but this was just a guess.

“So they disappeared into thin air?” Flore kind of laughed at the idea.

Lucie shrugged. “No one knows where they went, but I have a feeling they still roam the hallways of this ship.”

“Where did you get that from?” Theresa laughed.

“Just a feeling,” she said mysteriously.

Lucie walked over towards the masthead leaving Theresa, Flore and Alec on the main deck. She climbed up the wolf’s head. Instead of sitting like she normally did, she stood as captain of the Lupi Mari. She breathed in deeply and allowed the wind to comb through her hair. Her cloak flapped in the wind and she smiled happily. Now that Zinaida was back, it felt as if the crew was complete again.

 

That night Lucie, Zinaida and Clara were all sitting in the kitchen relaxing after cleaning up dinner. The ship rocked with the waves and for a while none of the girls spoke. They all just sat there relaxing after a long week of work.

“How long has it been since it was just the three of us?” Zinaida smiled while leaning back in her chair.

“It feels like it’s been an eternity,” Lucie agreed. “Now there are so many of use.”

Clara giggled, “You’re more of a captain now than you were back then.”

“Well, there are more people here than there were,” she sighed. “I can’t believe we managed to gather so many.”

“It’s all thanks to your charms,” Zinaida teased. “They all want to to serve under the great Lucie Clark.”

“You make me sound like some sort of ruler,” she glared at her best friend. Clara laughed again and Lucie turned her glare over to the girl. “What are you laughing about?” she asked.

“It’s just been so long since we have been able to talk like this,” the girl said. “We have all gotten so busy that we have not spoken with each other in a while.”

“Well, now that we are here I there are a few things we need to discuss.” Lucie told them. “Today Flore and the twins, Heather and Teresa, decided to be a part of our crew. Zorah helped them move into the crew’s cabin. She also secured them swords and a new dresses.”

“Three more members,” Zinaida mused. “I wonder how many more we will have by the time it’s all over?”

Lucie shrugged, “What I think we should talk about is what to do with the islanders. I don’t want to abandon them as soon as we reach port. We should at least help them start up.”

“But if we do help them they could be recognized as pirates,” Clara pointed out.

“Didn’t you say we were going to the port where my brother lives?” Zinaida asked. “Maybe we could ask him to help out and we could always try to use Alec and his friends. Males are usually less suspicious when it comes to this.”

“That’s true,” Lucie tipped her head back lost in thought. “We could also give them some money to help them out. We have more than enough from all those pirates we killed.”

“Well that’s them taken care of,” Zinaida said. “Was there something else?”

“We need to discuss how to free the siblings of Payton, Alaina and Faith.” Lucie said. “I feel we should do that as soon as possible. When Blackbeard finds out that he betrayed them then he will kill them.”

“He has his own fleet of ships behind,” Zinaida told them. “He was gracious enough to show it to me when I was on his ship. I didn’t see any other prisoners either. They could be on an one of his ships.”

Lucie bit her lip. “We need more information that only the pirates know.”

“We all know there is only one way to find those boys,” Zinaida pointed out. “We are going to have to ask the pirates themselves.”

“This could go so terribly wrong,” Lucie groaned, “but I guess we have no choice.”

“I’ll go,” Zinaida said. “I really want to get back at Blackbeard for capturing me.”

Lucie really wanted to argue but she found she couldn’t, “Well first we have to find one of his ships.”

“There are bound to be some rumors about him,” Clara said. “We could always send out teams to see what we can catch.”

“This is going to be a pain,” Lucie sighed, “But I said we would do it so there is no going back.”

“Speaking of Blackbeard,” Zinaida cut in, her voice rather serious. She looked restless, too. “While I was on his ship, I overhead him talking about us, and he said something strange.”

At this Lucie straightened in her chair, “What did he say?” She was as curious to hear what got Zinaida so worked up.

“He said something about demigods,” she told them in a whisper. Clara stiffened but Lucie didn’t know why. “He said I might be one… and maybe you, too.” She looked at Lucie who bit her lip, trying to think.

“Demigods?” she asked. “What does he mean by that?”

Zinaida shook her head wearily, “If only we knew what he meant…” 

Lucie got the feeling that Zinaida was holding something back, but her friend always shared important information. If it was important, Lucie would eventually hear about it.

“How did everything get so complicated?” Lucie sighed. “What happened to just killing the pirates?”

Zinaida gave her a wry smile. “You should know that life won’t ever be so easy.”


	18. Clairey

It was still early morning by the time they reached port. All the islanders were asleep but the crew was up and ready to go. After weeks at sea many of them wanted to get off the ship and wander around town but there were quite a few who had had enough of of the soldiers and wanted to stay on board. Lucie knew she was going to have to fix that but for now she didn’t feel like forcing it.

She split those who wanted to leave into groups. Martina, Elizabeth and Cecile offered to go out and buy supplies while the rest were to wander around town to see what they could find out about Blackbeard. Clara chose to stay on the ship so she could take stock of what they had and see what else they needed. Zinaida was going to visit her brother while Lucie, much to Zinaida’s annoyance, wanted to wander the city by herself for a while.

They all left the ship at the same time, those who stayed behind were left to take care of the islanders. At the end of the dock they all split up to go separate directions. Each group was a mixture of the newer members and older members so that the newer members would have the experience of the others to go off of but she couldn’t help but be worried. In the end she knew she had to let them take care of themselves.

Lucie enjoyed being alone as she wandered through the streets. There really was not much privacy on the ship, especially when it was so crowded. It was hard to ever truly feel alone which made it harder to breathe. She wanted to spend her time here enjoying herself and being alone with her own thoughts.

Sometimes she saw the other members of her crew. She would walk with them a while and enjoy their company but after a little bit she would leave again. In this way she hopped from group to group. She also used this chance to see what they found out about Blackbeard but no one knew anything substantial.

One time she nearly ran into a few soldiers and instinctively hid in one of the allies. No one noticed her at all and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she felt a little silly as she realized that they were not looking for anyone. She sat down on a nearby crate to calm down a little before heading back outside.

"Hey there," Lucie jumped at the sound of a boy’s voice. 

She had not noticed them there and almost thought he had materialized out of thin air. The boy grinned at Lucie from where he sat on the crate beside hers. His eyes showed years of wisdom but he could not have been more than four or five years older than her. He sat on the crate beside her and sighed.

“It’s a fine day today,” the boy casually leaned back against the wall. “Too nice to be hiding in alleys but I guess you can’t help it when you’re wanted by the British.”

Lucie stiffened and stared suspiciously at the boy, “Who are you?” she asked.

“No need to get so defensive.” The boy put up his hands. “I’m just a person who knows things but I don’t give away secrets. At least most of the time.”

She was still uneasy as she glared at the stranger. “What do you want?”

“To give you a warning,” he answered simply. 

“A warning.” Lucie said, unimpressed. She couldn’t tell if she should trust him or not. Through their conversation she sat on the edge of the crate always ready to leave.

“You have a hard path ahead of you.” He began. “It’s a dark path that twist and turns even beyond what I can see. Be careful of the traitor who seeks to destroy you. She hides her true true face well beneath a mask of lies.”

A shiver ran down Lucie’s spine but despite how ominous his words were she didn’t believe him. At least she didn’t want to. Ever since she became captain of the Lupis Maris she had seen so many impossible things that she didn’t know what to believe. 

“Who are you?” she asked. “Are you a fortune teller?”

The boy shrugged. “In a way.” He jumped of his crate and gave Lucie a little bow. “It was nice meeting you,” he said. “I hope we see each other again in the future.”

“I doubt that,” she said. The boy smiled but didn’t argue as he walked out of the alley. She watched him go. Unsure what to think of his warning. Unsure if she should believe it or not.

Lucie had just decided to leave herself when someone jumped out from behind the building and attacked her. Instinctively she whipped out her sword and blocked the blade. Her attacker stepped back and she paused not prepared for what she saw. Though it should not have surprised her.

The girl was smaller than her and younger by quite a few years. She wore the clothes of a male and Lucie could see a pistol hanging at her side. If the girl decided to use that weapon, then she would be in trouble.

Still, she was hesitant to fight. Usually girls were on her side and the men were the enemies. But if the ordeal with Faith, Alaina and Payton had taught her anything, it was that even those you think are allies could be enemies. Despite that, she new this girl wasn’t aiming to kill her but something a little simpler.

Lucie stepped in and aimed and attack at her torso but the girl spun out of the way and tried to unbalance her. She was very good. Nothing like some of the sloppy attacks she had seen from pirates. All her movements were sharp and on point.

She feinted with her sword and kicked out with her leg to trip Lucie. The girl tried to dive beneath her guard and land an attack there but she was able to pull back her sword and let it glance off her blade. The girl stepped back and sheathed her sword. Confused, Lucie did the same but she never let her guard down.

“So you really are as good as the rumors say,” she smiled. “My name is Bridget Claire Crowley, but call me Clairey. I’ve been waiting to meet you, captain.”

“There’s no need to call me captain,” she said. “Just Lucie is fine.”

“You are the captain though,” Clairey pointed out.

“Yes, but it’s so formal,” she crossed her arms. “Now what is it you want?”

“I heard you were looking for information on Blackbeard,” she said. “I will share my information with you if you allow me to sail on your ship for a while.”

“Come back with me,” Lucie was instantly curious by this young girl but still a little hesitant. “And we’ll see what my crew thinks.”

 

Zinaida quietly hummed an old Russian lullaby her mom used to sing to her as she looked for the place Lucie mentioned Kirill was staying. She wandered down the street with a vague sense of direction. She felt a multitude of emotions, all a bit too much for her to handle. Of course she was relieved and grateful that Kirill survived, but it brought to her attention that she hadn’t properly grieved for Sergei or Dennis… or her parents. It unlocked the door to her hidden pain, and she wasn’t strong enough to close it.  
She had been cowardly hiding in a cellar while they were all murdered. 

Of course, she knew that she couldn’t blame herself for the past, but that was what became her motivation. She would never be the same defenceless girl that hid in a cellar again. Zinaida would be strong; stronger than men, stronger than pirates, stronger than soldiers. 

But now, she felt like she didn’t do enough to mourn her family. Her focus wasn’t ever on them, and maybe it was due to survival, but she’d had long periods of time to think, and she never thought about them. Ever since Lucie told her Kirill was alive, an uneasy feeling she hadn’t ever felt before settled over her. She wished it would go away because she should be happy and relieved that he survived.

She turned around a corner, and arrived at the building Lucie directed her to. With a shaky breath, she knocked. It wouldn’t do good to waste time worrying. Besides, Kirill would just be happy to see her. Of all her brothers, he was the least judgemental. 

A few seconds later, the door opened, and instantly the bad feeling vanished. Zinaida smiled widely at seeing her brother’s warm face greeting her. “Kirill!” she exclaimed. “I’m so happy to see you!” He looked taller than she remembered and his hair was definitely longer, but he looked just the same. She wondered if he saw any changes in her that might have gone unnoticed by the people who saw her everyday. 

“Zinaida,” he replied, clearly relieved she was alive. He pulled her into a desperate hug, and she squeezed a little in response. It felt so nice to be here, being held by her oldest brother. It was a feeling she never thought she’d have again. Tears began to prick the corners of her eyes, despite her desperate attempts to keep them from watering.

“Kirill? Who’s there?” a voice from inside the house asked as they pulled apart, both with misty eyes but smiling. 

Zinaida idly wondered why the voice sounded familiar until the owner of the voice revealed herself. “Vanessa?” she gasped, surprised at the unexpected appearance of her cousin. 

“Oh, Zinaida!” she said before giving Zinaida a hug. “Kirill told me what happened, you had us all worried to death!” 

“Come inside you two,” Kirill said. “We don’t need anyone to catch a cold.”

All three of them went inside and sat down at the table. They were happy to see each other but the atmosphere was thick with tension. They all had gone through loss, and it became more obvious just how empty the room seemed with just the three of them. Nobody seemed to know how to break the tension until Vanessa said, “How about we chat over lunch?” 

“Good idea,” Zinaida replied, toying with the hem of her dress. 

“What happened to you? Lucie said you were captured by Blackbeard,” Kirill asked, clearly not used to the idea of his sister being in danger.

“Ah… well, I did something rather reckless,” she began, laughing at herself as she told the story of jumping overboard.

“How did you manage that?” Kirill asked, evidently shocked and a little worried for his sister’s sanity. “Were you insane? Jumping off his ship very well could have meant death!”

Zinaida looked to her brother, now serious. “Death would have been preferable compared to being held prisoner. His ship was dreadful, and I feared for my safety every day aboard that ship. I wanted to take my fate into my own hands, Kirill. I didn’t want to let that scum of a pirate control my fate.”

Kirill thought about that. He knew it suited his sister. She had always been too feisty for her own good, but it also was one of the things he loved about her. “Next time, be more careful. I’d prefer it if you didn’t jump off of ships.”

“I don’t intend on there ever being a next time,” Zinaida replied. “Blackbeard will not have the best of me, or our crew.”

“Let us hope so,” Vanessa chimed in. “I don’t want to lose you! How did you even get to that island, anyway?” 

“Oh… that…” Zinaida was at a loss of words to say. She hadn’t even told Lucie or Clara about how she got to the island. She still didn’t know how to explain what had happened, either. How many eagles flew over the North Atlantic? It made no sense. “I followed a bird. A seagull, I think. Birds always lead to land.” Both were suspicious about her reluctance to answer, but both seemed to let it go. “So... how is it you came to my brother?” Zinaida asked, looking at Vanessa.

“Oh... well, my father died of some incurable disease. You know he was the only family I had left... I went to search for uncle Vladimir’s family, but Kirill found me first and told me what happened to Clovelly.”

“Vanessa, I’m so sorry,” Zinaida said, giving her cousin a sympathetic gaze. “I know what it’s like to lose your family.”

“Don’t worry, Zinaida, I’m fine. Now, let us eat.”

They all sat down to eat. Talking and telling stories of each other’s adventures. The scene reminded Zinaida of when she use to sit at the table with her whole family. She missed those days but there was nothing she could do about it now. All she can do is enjoy the present.

“You know the islanders I mentioned?” When they nodded, she continued, “I need your help to get them settled in. Is that alright?”

Kirill nodded again. “That should be no problem. I do, however, have something to ask you...”

“What is it?” Zinaida asked.

“Would it be alright if I joined you on the Lupis Maris?”

“Me too,” Vanessa added, clearly not wanting to be left behind. “We ought to stick together after everything that happened to our families.”

How could Zinaida say no to that? They were her family, and when put like that, she didn’t want to leave them again. “I’ll have to talk to Lucie about it, but I don’t see why not. We might need the extra hands,” she said.

“That’s good, I would hate to be separated again,” Vanessa said with her gaze to the ground. “I hate being alone.”

“As do I,” Zinaida and Kirill said at nearly the same time. All three of them laughed before clearing off the table.

“Once they were done cleaning the dishes,” Zinaida said, “We should probably get back to the ship. We can talk to Lucie about you two joining our crew then, too.”

 

Lucie and Clara were in the cleaning up lunch. Clairey was seated at the table sipping at tea. They were all waiting for their last friend to come back so Lucie was not surprised when the kitchen door suddenly swung open.

“I’ve returned,” Zinaida announced marching into the kitchen. Behind her was Kirill and another girl the was faintly familiar though she couldn’t quite remember from where.

“Nice to see you again, Kirill,” Lucie greeted.

“Thanks for finding my sister,” Kirill grinned gratefully. “and it’s nice to see you are all doing well.”

“Yes, we are strong despite all that has happened,” she replied.

“You remember my cousin, Vanessa,” Zinaida introduced them.

“Oh right,” Lucie said, remembering when the girl use to come visit and play with them. “It’s been so long since I saw you last,” she smiled. “I hardly even recognized you.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” Vanessa smiled again but it seemed a little forced. Lucie wondered why but she decided it was better not to ask.

“Lucie,” Zinaida said, bringing her attention back to her friend. “Kirill and Vanessa want to be part of the crew. That should be fine, right?”

Lucie thought for a moment then shrugged, “I see no problem with it. Welcome to the Lupis Maris!” she said then waved to the girl who still sat at the table sipping her tea. “Speaking of which I brought another new member. This is Clairey. She says she has information on Blackbeard.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” the girl said after taking another sip.

“More and more members are appearing by the hour!” Zinaia exclaimed. “Soon we will need another ship.”

Lucie laughed. “That might be something to think about but for now I think we should help the islanders become adjusted to society while we can.” She turned to Kirill and asked, “will you help us?”

“Of course,” he said. “They can even use my house if they would like.I won’t be needing it now.”

“Let’s do that first,” Lucie said. “Then we can talk about how to deal with Blackbeard.”

They headed back to the top deck where all the islanders were waiting a little impatiently to leave. It was extremely crowded and Lucie almost felt like she was wading through water as she tried to move around. She hopped from family to family, trying to make sure they had everything they needed to start up again. All the other girls were up top as well to say their good-byes.

"Ummm... Lucie," Alec, along with his group of friends were pushing their way through the crowd.

"Yes?" Lucie stopped so they could reach her. In the past few weeks Alec and his gang had become a big help to the crew. They were always ready to do what was needed which was great.

"We want to be a part of your crew," Alec said almost catching Lucie off guard. “I know it is currently all girls but we want to help you get revenge on Blackbeard. Please let us join you at least until then.”

“What about the families you will be leaving behind?” Lucie knew that not all the boys still had families left but most of them had adopted new families among the islanders.

“We already spoke to them.” Alec responded. “Now we’re asking you.”

Lucie hesitated. She thought back to the similar request that came from Kirill. He had wanted to find his sister but she didn’t know how the crew would react to him. Now was different. Everyone had changed so much since then and now Zinaida’s brother was a part of the crew. A few more boys wouldn’t hurt.

She smiled, "Sure, it would be nice to have some help for when we face Blackbeard."

"That's if they will actually be helpful," Zinaida teased appearing right behind her. Lucie ignored the girl and waded through the crowd till she reached the side of the ship closest to the docks.

"Thank you for taking us off that island," Fawna said walking up right behind her. "I don't know what would have happened if you had not come along."

"Don't mention it," Lucie smiled again, "we were glad to help. Besides, we couldn’t ignore the fact that you took care of Zinaida for us."

"Well, I'm glad we found her for you," Fawna smiled back, "I could tell she was lonely. She smiled often but there was a sadness beneath it. She was waiting for you to pick her up."

"And that whole time we thought she was dead," Lucie shook her head. "You never know with that girl. She’s too stubborn!"

"I hope you come back to see us sometime," Fawna said, "and please take care of everyone." Lucie nodded as she saw the woman look fondly towards her daughter and the twins. 

"I can't assure anything but I promise to do my best," she replied softly remembering how her own mother use to take care of her.

"Oh and one more thing," she looked back at Fawna wondering what she wanted. Suddenly found herself entangled the woman’s arms. "I heard about what happened to your family," she whispered in Lucie's ear. "While revenge is sweet it can be poisonous when taken too far. Just know when it’s time to stop. I hope to see you again.”

Fawna let go as she went to say goodbye to her own daughters. Lucie turned towards the dock thinking about last time she laughed with her mother. 

 

Zinaida and Lucie had gone for a walk with their mothers in the forest. They were all talking joyfully while picking berries and putting them into baskets they carried on their arms. The two girls had gotten into a small argument but Lucie could no longer remember what it was about.

Those were the peaceful days. When she didn’t have to fight for her life and no one was running from pirates. There was no blood or death. The girls were so innocent back then.

As Lucie went to pick berries from a bush, one of her brothers exploded out of the green foliage and slammed right into her. Berries scattered everywhere as she stumbled backwards and fell back onto the ground. The boy barely glanced at her before he ran down the trail like the wind was chasing him.

“That was Roger wasn’t it?” Lucie muttered. She stood up, brushed off her skirt and sighed. “I worked hard picking all those berries.”

"What's his problem?" Zinaida had asked staring after the crazy boy. Lucie just shrugged equally mystified. The bushes rustled again and Robert casually walked out holding a stick with a dead snake tied to the end of it.

"You should have seen how fast he was moving," her brother laughed. “I never knew he was so afraid of snakes.”

Lucie and Zianda sighed, "Of course." 

A second later the girls burst out laughing. Their mothers exchanged amused smiles. Lucie picked up her basket again and they continued to gather berries while following the trail home. Robert even helped to refill her basket.

 

"Hey, Lucie!" Zinaida yelled bringing her back to reality, "stop spacing out! We should go.”

Lucie snapped out of her trance and helped Zinaida organize all the islanders. Zinaida, Kirill, Flore, Heather and Teresa were standing by the edge ready to escort everyone off. She and the other girls watched as they filed off.

Everyone was still waving their good-byes. Some of the islanders were a little reluctant to leave but soon it was only Lucie and her crew on the ship. They stood by the railings and continued waving until the last islander was out of sight.

Over the time that the islanders were staying with them, they had come to accept that the crew was completely made up of girls. Lucie noticed that they even mingled and helped out whenever they could. It was going to emptier now that they were gone.

But even without the islanders it was still a full ship. She could hardly remember back when it was only three girls. The ship had felt so big and empty back then. Maybe it was time for another ship. They would have to learn how to steer it without the help of magic but that was something to think of for the future. For now they needed to deal with Blackbeard.


	19. The Battle

“Virginia! That’s all the way across the ocean!” Payton exclaimed. “How are we supposed to follow him over there?”

“At this rate we’ll never catch up,” Faith muttered disheartened. “Most likely our brothers will be dead before we’re even close.”

Lucie silently watched the everyone’s reactions to Clairey’s news. She had gathered everyone involved into the kitchen, hoping to discuss what they were to do next. If Blackbeard was all the way in virginia they may have to hold off on making any solid plans. 

There was a mixture of shock and despair from the three girls hoping to save their brothers. Lucie, Zinaida and Clara, on the other hand, were calmly thinking over their options. They didn’t even need to discuss it to know that their decision was unanimous.

Alaina was about to join in with her complaint but Zinaida stopped them. “Calm down girls. Why don’t you let us speak before running your mouths off?”

“You didn’t even give us a chance to make a decision,” Lucie said. “I am the captain here.”

“Right,” Clara agreed.

“But we can’t expect you to chase down Blackbeard just because of us,” Alaina argued. “It would be too much.”

“Exactly,” Faith said. “We cannot expect you to risk the crew for just two people.”

“We aren’t doing it just because of you,” Zinaida corrected. Her face darkened and Lucie could tell that she was remembering their encounters with the nasty pirates.

“You are not the only ones who have a reason to chase Blackbeard,” she added. Images of Clovelly flashing through her mind. “Everyone on this ship more or less want him dead. That includes the three of us.”

“Lucie’s right,” Clara spoke up. “As the leader’s we must think of the crew as a whole and not just every individual’s feelings. We built this crew up so we could take on Blackbeard if we ever needed to.”

“Oh really?” Clairey suddenly butted in. She leaned back in her chair seeming somewhat unconcerned. “So you expect to just train a crew of amateurs to fight and defeat pro pirates. You girls are really out of your league, you know.”

“That’s not what matters,” Zinaida told the girl. “No matter what we do we will always be inferior to them. That’s why we must fight Blackbeard head on and teach him not to mess with us.”

“Hmph, suit yourself,” Clairey said, “but don’t cry when you’re the ones who end up dead.”

“It’s Blackbeard who will be crying,” Zinaida snapped back.

“England is a long way to go for a pirate from Virginia,” Payton changed the subject. “Why would he come all the way over here?”

“Thinking about it,” Zinaida said. “It is odd for a pirate to travel such long distances.”

To Lucie’s surprise it was Clairey who answered. She usualy didn’t say much if she didn’t have to and she almost never responded to Zinaida’s questions. “He found something over here that caught his interest. I think you may have heard the story.”

“What story?” Clara asked, echoing everyone's thoughts.

“About the pirate girls who came before you,” the girl answered simply.

“So the story about them even reached all the way across the sea,” Lucie thought but she didn’t voice it. Even then, for a pirate to believe such rumors enough to cross the sea was a bit of a stretch. What was it that Blackbeard was looking for? Was it these demigods that were mentioned before?

“Agh, this is getting us nowhere,” Zinaida said after a long silence. “Why don’t we just kill that bloody pirate and be done with it.”

“Agreed,” Lucie said and then gave everyone a big smile. “Well, that’s it for today. When we arrive at Virginia we will come up with a plan to take on Blackbeard. Why don’t you girls go ahead and relax while we start dinner?”

Payton, Alaina and Zorah muttered their assent and left the room. Clairey hesitated for a moment but even she left. With the others gone Lucie and Zinaida turned their attention to Clara. Although the girl was normally quiet, she was oddly silent during most of the meeting. Currently, she was staring at the table lost in thought, unaware of the other girl’s watching her.

“Clara, is everything okay?” Zinaida asked her but the girl didn’t respond.

“Clara,” Lucie called, gently touching the girl on the shoulder. Clara jumped at her touch but Lucie had gotten her attention. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“Everythings fine,” the girl said a little too quickly. She stood up from the table and entered her room without giving the two girls any explanation.

“We’ve known her for a while now,” Zinaida said. They both looked at the closed door, unsure of what to do. “Yet there’s still something she won’t tell us.”

“I hope that someday she will be able to trust us enough to speak,” Lucie agreed.

“On the other hand,” Zinaida glared sharply at her. “How do you expect just the two of us to make dinner for the whole crew?”

Lucie laughed and scratched her head, “About that… I didn’t expect Clara to ditch us so early on.”

Zinaida sighed, “I go find some help. You can get started.”

“Aye,” Lucie said before searching the kitchen for ingredients.

While they cooked she couldn’t help but to glance at Clara’s door. A part of her was sad that the girl still was unable to trust them. Even though they had already fought together numerous times.

 

The next day they departed from port on it’s way to virginia. Lucie had summoned everyone on deck to play a game that the three leaders had come up with. She sat on top of Lupis’ head where the curious whispers barely reached her ears. When everyone was finally gathered she raised her hand for silence.

“Clara, Zinaida and I have come up with a game for us all to play,” she announced happily, though inwardly she knew that Clara had not been a part of the decision to put it to practice. The girl had barely spoken to them since the meeting the other day. Desperate to cheer up their friend the two girls thought this game might just do the trick. At least the crew was excited.

“It will be a mock battle and Zinaida and I will be the leaders of the teams. The rules will be as follow: We will use the sheathes instead of our swords to avoid injury. If someone manages to hit you anywhere that is not your arms or legs you are deemed dead and must lay there on the ground until the game is over. The game is over when one team manages to kill everyone on the other team. If anyone fails to follow the rules they will be stuck scrubbing the deck for a week! Any questions?”

“How will we know the difference between the teams?” someone called out.

“We have different colored headbands,” Zinaida explained, showing them the white and black cloth they had taken from the hold. “This way we can tell the teams apart.” They waited for anyone else to speak but no one else said anything so they continued.

“Now then,” Lucie slid off the masthead and landed a little unsteadily on the forecastle. “When we call your names move to either Zinaida’s side of the ship or mine.” Both girls moved to the center of the ship and the crowd parted to let them through.

“You start, Captain,” her friend called.

“Alright…” Lucie scanned the crowed for a moment and then gave Zinaida a mischievous grin. “I’ll take Kirill.” The boy gave her a surprised look before joining her in the middle of the deck. Lucie passed him a white headband to wear.

“No fair!” Zinaida huffed, crossing her arms. “If that’s the case then I’ll take Clara. There’s no way I’m letting you win!” Clara kept a blank face as she joined Zinaida’s team. But there was a glimmer of excitement in her eyes and Lucie hoped this game would help her cheer up.

“Nope, I refuse to lose,” Lucie said. “Now, next is… Zorah!”

“Then I’ll pick Alec.” Their voices rang out in quick succession. 

“I’ll take Olive.”

“Clairey,” Zinaida surprisingly called out. In the short time Clairey had been on the ship, the two girls were known not to get along at all.

“Elizabeth.”

One by one the called names until there was no one left. They all wore headbands of either Black, for Zinaida’s team, or white, for Lucie’s team. The white team gathered near the front of the ship while the black team was gathered near the back. Lucie and Zinaida faced each other at the front of their teams.

“Are you all ready?!” Zinaida yelled, her voice carried all around the ship. Cheers rose up and everyone pumped their fists into the air. “Then let’s go!”

The two sides surged forward and met in the middle. In only seconds the battle turned into absolute chaos. It didn’t take long for the “dead” to litter the ground immediately making it harder to fight. Lucie used her sheathe to block any attacks that came towards her. At the same time she struck out blindly to anyone who came near. Unfortunately not very many people came to challenge her. Excluding the occasional sneak attack no one tried to take her on outright.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lucie saw a couple of boys from Alec’s group face each other. Black team’s Finnley against white team’s Nathaniel. Nathaniel tried to whack Finnley on the head but the other boy ducked and attempted to counter. Nathaniel smoothly stepped out of the way, his sheathe hitting the back of the unbalanced boy beside him. Victorious, Nathaniel charged deeper into battle.

Lucie spun around as she continuously blocked and attacked the other opponents. Right in front of her she saw Alec and Kirill jump out of the crowd furiously swinging their swords at each other. She had never seen Zinaida’s brother fight and was impressed by his skill. Lucie wanted to watch to see who would win but she had to turn and block another surprise attack.

Her heart was beating loudly as she realized how close she had come to “death”. Lucie grinned at Teresa, the girl who had almost managed a successful sneak attack on her. She was about to counter with another swing when Heather appeared. She dove between them and knocked her twin off-balance, taking her down in a moment.  
Heather gave her a small smile before disappearing back into the crowd again. Lucie paused to find another opponent. She had somehow ended up on the edge of the battle. Her original goal was to take down Zinaida as swiftly as she could but her friend had disappeared all too quickly.

As she searched for her next opponent, there was a sudden flash of red right before her eyes and Lucie went to attack. Martina would have been dead but Rose blocked her sword. Elizabeth ended up facing Martina. The young girl, however was no match against Martina’s attacks. Although she fought well, it was not enough. Elizabeth was struck down by the older girl before Lucie had a chance to take care of Rose. However, she did not let the little girl’s “death” go to waste. When Martina was distracted by victory she gave the girl a good whack on the back to kill her.

That done, Lucie jumped over the two bodies to dive further in. Fewer and fewer people were left standing. Right before her eyes she saw Payton take down Cecile with a few well placed strikes. She made a mental note to keep an eye on that girl.

There were very few people left in the battle at this point. On one side of her Clairey and Kirill were fighting. The seemed evenly matched so she was not sure who would win. On the other side Clara and Zorah were against each other, both using all their strength to win. While they were both distracted with their battle Lucie decided to use this chance to maneuver behind Clara and pull off another sneak attack. The plan was to defeat the girl before she could take down Zorah but she was too late. Zorah died a moment before her sheath hit Clara.

“No fair!” Clara complained as she crumpled to the deck.

“All is fair in this game!” she responded.

Lucie turned to see how Kirill was doing. He had managed to defeat Clairey but was now in combat with Zinaida. She was about to help him out but Alec appeared before her. Effectively blocking her way.

“I will not let you pass,” he said aiming a strike at her head.

“Good luck,” Lucie said, blocking his attack.

She countered with a well aimed thrust to the stomach but he blocked again. Zinaida had certainly whipped this boy into shape. He was no longer the same bumbling idiot he was when they first met him. Lucie began to attack with all her might to break through his defense. Unfortunately for him, Alec was still not a skilled enough to defeat her. She darted in and out of his reach watching and waiting until she finally saw him stumble. The boy had swung his sword back just a little too wide so she darted in and finished him off. He crumbled to the deck, adding one more to the dead.

“Looks like we’re the only two left,” Zinaida smirked. Of course, she had given her brother no mercy in their duel. 

“All these people here and not a single one could defeat us,” Lucie sighed. “I had hoped this would be more exciting.”

“I guess we will have to decide the winning team,” Zinaida lowered herself into a ready stance and Lucie did the same.

“That cannot be allowed,” Clara said from where she was lying on the deck.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” Zinaida told her. “So be quiet.”

“Nope, I refuse to accept,” Clara pushed herself up to a standing position. “LET THE DEAD RISE AND ATTAAAAACK!”

“Hey! That’s cheating!” Lucie said with an edge of panic in her voice. 

She was positive she had never heard Clara yell so loud but it was drowned out by the collective screams of everyone in the crew. The two girls found themselves fighting together to defend against the giant wave of people but even their combined efforts were not enough. In an instant they both lost to the combined attack of the crew.

“Ow,” Lucie complained. She could not tell exactly what parts of her body hurt. Just that she was going to be covered in bruises in the morning. She lay on the deck dazed, unwilling to stand up again.

“You all broke the rules,” Zinaida complained. Lucie could hear her scrambling to stand back up again. “Now you all must scrub the deck for the next week. It better sparkle in the sunlight because there are so many of you working on it!”

There was a collective complaint from the crew but neither Lucie nor Zinaida were going to let them off. The only problem was Lucie would need to get up so they could clean but she didn’t not quite feel like leaving the comfort of the deck yet. She rolled over and curled up, debating on whether she should fall asleep right there

“Lucie, get up!” she heard Zinaida’s voice above her but she was unwilling to open her eyes. “Get up or they’ll scrub you along with the deck.”

“I don’t feel like it,” she said.

“Come on,” Zinaida started tugging on her arm. “Captain’s should not be lying in the middle of the deck.”

“But I don’t want to move,” Lucie resisted.

“If you don’t move then you won’t have any dinner,” the girl threatened.

“Who are you to decide something like that?” Lucie said burt she stood up anyway. “So who’s the winner?” she asked.

“I believe it was my team because it was Clara who gave the order to attack,” Zinaida said confidently.

“But you died as well,” Lucie argued, “and she was supposed to be dead.”

“That doesn’t matter. Clara is on my team.”

“But she was dead.”

“Black team still wins,” Zinaida tried.

“I refuse to acknowledge it,” Lucie said.

Around them the crew was dissipating and gathering supplies to scrub the deck but the two girls payed them no mind. They might have argued for the rest of the afternoon if Clara had not intervened.

“Since everyone else is busy why don’t you two help me start preparations for dinner,” the girl said. Grudgingly they both followed her to the kitchen but behind her back they shared conspiratorial smiles. Their friend seemed to have cheered up but that didn’t change the fact that they continued to argue as they walked into the kitchen.

“Will you two please stop!” Clara finally yelled at them. For a moment Lucie thought she would throw the knife she was using. Luckily she set it down but her hand was still on the handle. “I won the battle today. So will you two just be quiet.”

“You were supposed to be dead,” Zinaida continued to argue. At this point the argument was just going to go in circles.


	20. Virginia

“Look we’re here!” Cecile called excitedly to the rest of the crew.

Everyone gathered at the front of the ship to watch as land approached. They had been traveling for months and all of the girls, even Lucie, were growing tired of the sea. During the journey they played their battle game many times over. Always with different leaders chosen by Lucie and Zinaida. Every game also lasted longer as the everyone became better at staying alive.

Lucie was sitting on the masthead as the ship glided into port. The towns here were much smaller and more modest than the cities she was used to back home. The same people were here but their clothing were not as rich and none of the streets were paved. Somehow it seemed more peaceful but there were still soldiers patrolling the streets. Lucie doubted they were on watch for female pirates but she couldn’t help being a little on edge.

“Feel free to have fun and explore the town,” Lucie called out to her crew. “Just be back before night fall.”

A collective cheer rose from the everyone below and they all ran off the ship as quickly as possible. She slid off the masthead to join Zinaida and Clara on the deck. Clairey was also there waiting for them.

“Thank you for taking me here,” she told them.

“You’re leaving?” Lucie asked.

“Yes,” Clairey answered. “I needed a ride across the ocean so I could come home.”

“Then have a safe trip,” Zinaida said.

“I will,” Clairey waved before walking away.

“Bye,” Lucie waved to the small figure that was walking away from her. She didn’t ask the girl what she was doing across the sea but instead watched her leave. “Have a safe journey.”

“Do you think we will see her again?” Clara asked.

Zinaida shrugged. “Who knows? If we do it will probably be months maybe years later.”

“Let’s just survive that long ourselves,” Lucie snorted.

“Of course we will!” Zinaida said enthusiastically. “Now let’s go explore the town.”

The three girls left the ship and ran down the dirt streets together. They walked the streets and chatted happily. It was nice to enjoy a peaceful day without thinking about Blackbeard or all the tragedies they had experienced. If only for a day.

 

Zinaida stood in the crow’s nest with Lucie and Clara. From here they could see his ship. It was still early morning so the town was still waking up and, from what they could tell, the pirates were still fast asleep. It was no surprise, the pirates had probably drowned in booze the night before.

“So what’s the plan?” Zinaida asked the others.

“Something small,” Lucie said. “Our goal is only to find where he is keeping the boys. I don’t want to start a fight yet. We are not prepared.”

“If we start all out fighting they could be killed in the midst of all the commotion,” Clara agreed.

“I will go,” Zinaida offered. She didn’t really want to be back on that ship again but she was itching to get back at Blackbeard. Even if it was only some of his crew she still wanted to annoy him as much as her annoyed her.

“Are you sure?” Lucie glanced at her concerned. Zinaida knew that she was only afraid she would do something reckless again but she had no plans for it this time.

“Of course,” Zinaida said. “When I’m done he will be sorry I messed with him.”

“Just don’t make him angrier,” Lucie muttered almost too quietly. “At least take a few others with you and no dying on me this time.”

“Aye, captain,” Zinaida said, knowing full well the title annoyed Lucie. If she couldn’t do it with her recklessness then she will do it some other way. “I’ll take Zorah and Martina with me. They’re good fighters.”

“Take Payton too,” Clara said. “She knows the boys so she would be of help if you do find them.”

“Alright,” Zinaida said. “It looks like they have no intention of leaving port any time soon. If they go into town tonight to party again, I will take that chance to steal onto his ship and find out anything we can on him.”

“Just don’t get killed,” Lucie reminded her again.

“Don’t worry I won’t,” Zinaida assured her friend.

The sun sank and just as Zinaida predicted, Blackbeard and the majority of his crew left his ship to drink in town. She was waiting just outside the docks hiding among the crowds with the other three girls. They pretended to talk about the shallow nonsense that normal girls usually talked about. Zorah and Martina were good at it though she suspected it was because they use to be nobles. 

As soon as the pirates disappeared from sight, Zinaida led her small group of friends up to Blackbeard’s ship. There were two lookouts watching the dock but they were quite drunk. Hardly dependable guards. She swallowed her fear as she walked up to the two men, the other girls following nervously behind her.

Despite being drunk, they watched the group through narrowed eyes like they were trying to see through her plans. Truth was she did not have much of a plan. She figured she would make it up as she went.

“Do you want to play?” she asked innocently. They smiled with the greedy eyes she hated. She did her best not to throw up as her smile quickly shifted to a frown but the pirates had let their guards down too much.

“Too slow,” she taunted.

She drew her sword and thrust it into the man’s stomach. Putting all her anger into the blade. He didn’t have time to register his own surprise while she pulled out her sword. His body fell to the deck with a thump and she was surprised by how empty the sound was. Death no longer affected her the same way it use to. The other man was quickly taken care of by the other three girls. 

Silently they let themselves onto the ship. On the deck two other men were laughing while enjoying their rum. They weren’t quite as drunk as the others so she figured she would be able to drag some answers out of them. The girls weren’t exactly being sneaky so of course both men noticed them immediately.

“What are you doing here?” one of the men called out angrily. “This really isn’t a safe place for girls like you.”

“Zorah and Martina will take the one to the right,” she ordered ignoring the pirate. “Payton and I will take the other one.”

“Aye,” the others said in unison.

“These girls are funny,” Zinaida’s pirate said. “They think they could take us.”

Zinaida and Payton flanked their pirate. Drawing both their swords and daggers. The pirate drew his sword to face them but he was being lazy. His stance was loose and his guard was too wide. This time he was not underestimating them. It was his idiocy that made him so weak.

She charged forward and swung her sword. He blocked but it was clumsy. Her sword still slid and cut his arm. Payton snuck behind him and drove her dagger into his back. The wound would not be fatal but it would do the trick. 

The poison they used was something Clara made recently. It numbed the body, making it easier for the girls to take down their target. It was not fatal like the Pirates Demise but it worked faster and was better for interrogation.

Zinaida found some extra rope and they tied up both the pirates just to make sure they didn’t move. She was not sure when the poison would wear off. It was better to be safe now then regret not doing it later.

“This was too easy,” Zinaida sighed, watching the cursing pirates. “These must be the runts of Blackbeard’s crew.”

“It was two against four,” Martina pointed out.

“No,” Zorah said. “They were weak. They couldn’t even hold their weapons properly.” The four of them stood in a circle watching the pitiful pirates on the floor before them.

“Let’s finish this up quickly,” Zinaida said, kneeling before one of the pirates. “We may be girls but we are not afraid to get our hands dirty. I suggest you tell us what we want to know.”

The pirates laughed and cursed at them. Zinaida was wondering if she should just kick them in the stomach right now. At least she might be a little less annoyed.

“You can try little missy,” one said.

“She’s all lies,” the other one taunted. “A girl’s heart is too soft for this kind of business.”

For that Zinaida did kick them. Though that didn’t do much to get rid of their scornful gazes, it did make her feel a little better.

She waved to Payton who had been keeping her distance from the pirates. “It’s you’re turn.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“They’re your brothers, you can at least ask the questions,” was what she said but in truth she wanted to give Payton more experience by letting her take charge.

Payton moved forward until she replaced her in front of the pirates. The girl looked at Zinaida nervously but she only motioned for her to continue. Payton took a deep breath before focusing her eyes on the pirate in front of her.

“We’re looking for two prisoners,” she said. “Two boys here. One is eight and the other would be about fourteen. Where are they?”

“We don’t know anything about any prisoners,” the pirate spat stubbornly.

Zinaida put her sword away but kept her dagger out. She wiped the poison off with her cloak. There was no longer any need for this poison. Instead she took out a bottle of something more fatal and dripped it on her dagger.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked finding it hard to completely step back. “I assure you unlike the one from before this poison is quite fatal. Would you like to see?”

“You’re bluffing,” the other pirate said. “It’s laughable that a girl would actually have such a poison.”

“Would you like to see?” she repeated.

She glanced around at the Martina and Zorah. From they eyes she could tell that they knew what she was thinking. She marched over to the other pirate and took the liberty of driving her dagger in his chest. It didn’t hit his heart but it would be enough to deliver the poison into his bloodstream. “Now just wait a few minutes and watch him die.”

“Or you can tell us what we want to know,” Payton said.

“We might just have an antidote,” Zorah added. 

They were taunting the pirate now. Their tone made it sound like a normal conversation but they’re words were much crueler because every sentence only promised death with maybe a little mercy. Though they had not intention of giving any mercy tonight.

“Did I bring the antidote?” Zinaida pretended to look through her pockets.

“I might have it,” Martina did the same.

“What do I care of he dies?” the pirate scowled. “You won’t be able to find them.”

“So you know about them,” Zinaida handed her dagger to Payton. “Tell us where we are or you will regret it.” The pirate suddenly had a spark of wisdom and shut his mouth. She sighed attempting to keep her anger in check, at this rate they were going to run out of time. She had to remember not to be reckless but she really just wanted to kill everyone here. “Martina and Zorah, you go search the ship for any clues. This could take a while.”

The two girls nodded and drew their swords again before descending below deck. She gripped her own sword tighter before turning back to the pirate. His partner was already pale and his breathing labored.

“Tell us,” Payton said, becoming more confident in herself. “Or else you would end up like him.”

By the look on his face, Zinaida could tell that the pirate was starting to take them seriously. But he still wouldn’t talk. He still didn’t fear them as much as he did Blackbeard. She pulled out her sword and drove it into his leg. The pirate screamed in pain but she didn’t feel any pity.

“This is becoming tiring,” Zinaida said. “Your captain won’t be here for a while so we have the time to do what we please.”

They engaged in a sort of staring competition for a few minutes. Long after the other pirate died and just enough time for Martina to come running back up the stairs. Zinaida stood up and pulled her sword out of the man’s leg before meeting her across the deck.

“What is it?” hs asked.

“The boys,” Martina said. “We found them down in the brig. We already took out the guard but they’re frightened. Payton needs to come see them.”

“Payton,” Zinaida called out to the girl. “Finish off the pirate and come with us.”

“Right,” Payton drove the dagger into the pirate and then stood up to follow them.

“Keep watch out here,” she told Martina. “We’ll make it quick.”

She turned to head below deck but nearly stumbled over her own feet. The world spun for a moment and she had to stop so it could right itself again. It was sudden but she just chalked it up to too much sword practice and not enough sleep.

“Are you okay?” Payton asked.

“I’m fine,” Zinaida lied. Her head hurt but she was not about to let on that she was not feeling well. “Come on let’s go.”

They ran all the way down into the hold where she remembered the brig would be. Zorah was standing right by the door with the familiar key ring in her hand. Payton only gave her a silent nod before rushing through the door. Zinaida stayed outside to wait.

“Go keep watch upstairs with Martina,” she said.

“Aye, then you can take the keys,” Zorah said while handing them over.

The girl raced up the stairs to join her friend. Zinaida leaned against the wall remembering her own time here. She had hated the leering gazes of the pirates and the air was so suffocating it was hard to think straight. It was no wonder she had tried to escape despite having nowhere to go.

She waited wanting to give the siblings as much time as she could but she was growing anxious. There was no telling when someone would return and notice the dead pirates. Not only that but her head hurt. It was becoming hard to focus.

“Payton it’s about time we leave,” she was getting anxious and she really did not want to be on this ship any longer. “Are you ready?”

The door opened and Payton stepped out with the two boys, “We’re ready,” she said.

Zinaida nodded before leading the way back outside the ship. It took all her effort to act like everything was normal even though she really didn’t feel well. Martina and Zorah silently joined them as they walked over the dead bodies and off the ship. Even though she was sure Blackbeard wouldn’t return Zinaida couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief when they were finally out of sight.

“Let’s head back…” she started to say when the world suddenly tilted again. She would have face planted on the ground if Zorah had not rushed over to catch her.

“You’re very warm,” Zorah said, feeling her forehead.

She didn’t want to worry them so she stood up again and said, “I’m fine. Let’s head back.”

“No you’re not fine,” Zorah told her. “You need to have Flore take a look at you.”

“There’s no need,” she tried but Zinaida didn’t have much strength to argue while she was being steered toward the little boat they had hid earlier. She reluctantly allowed them help her into the boat. Their nagging did not stop her from trying to convince them she was fine. She was sure it would pass.

 

Lucie waited anxiously by the masthead, watching for Zinaida and her party to return. She had not been able to sit still since they left. Even though she let her friend lead this mission she sincerely hoped the girl wouldn’t do anything reckless but that might be a little too much to ask.

“She’ll be fine,” Clara repeated for the hundredth time that night.

She and Vanessa were standing right beside Lucie, both waiting with her for them to return. Although Clara would occasionally try to give encouragement Vanessa was completely silent. Lucie had been studying her face out of the corner of her eye but she found it impossible to tell what the girl was thinking.

All the other crew members were out on the deck as well. Some paced to and fro impatiently while others sat in circles and whispered to each other quietly. Cecile and Ember, who were the youngest of all the crew members, had tried to wait up with everyone but the two girls had fallen asleep quickly enough. Alec and Andres kindly carried them down to their bunks to sleep.

Lucie turned her attention back to the water just as the boat came in sight. Even though it was still far away, she could tell it was the boat that Zinaida and the others had taken earlier. As it approached she saw six silhouettes. She sighed in relief now that she knew the mission was successful but her relief didn’t last long.

At the sight of the boat, the crew stood up and began to cheer excitedly. As the boat came closer she noticed the grim faces of those on board. They were all focused on Zinaida who was leaning heavily against Payton’s shoulder.

Her heart was beating quickly as she pushed her way through the crowd over people over to the rope ladder. Payton supported Zinaida as she reached for the ladder and began to climb up. In the faint light from the lanterns she could barely make out her friend’s pale face.

Lucie reached out her hand to help Zinaida up the rest of the way. Her hands were warm but she suspected it was because of a fever. The girl wasn’t injured which was a relief.

“Clara, can you take Zinaida back to her room,” she said and then turned to scan her crew. “Where’s Flore?”

“Here!” Flore was already moving to help Clara lead Zinaida to her room so Lucie didn’t need to say anything more. The girl had shown herself to be quite the skilled healer and she hoped that she could help Zinaida.

The others were already making their way up the ladder and Lucie waited for them to hear the details of the mission. Faith and Alaina rushed forward and crushed the older of the two boys in their arms. Payton kept one hand protectively on her brother. Lucie stood back and waited until they were done before introducing herself to the boys.

Payton introduced her brother as Hunter while Faith and Alaina’s brother introduced himself as Eric. They both seemed pretty thin. After asking Alec to set up more cots in the boy’s cabin, she led the group of siblings down to the kitchen so she could make some quick food for the boys.

Once she had finished with that, she left them alone to catch up with each other and headed down to Zinaida’s cabin. Clara, Vanessa and Flore were waiting for her outside of the room. They were deep in conversation and stopped when Lucie approached.

“So what’s the news?” Lucie asked but their worried faces told her all she needed to know.

“I gave her herbs to help her fever,” Flore said. “She’s sleeping at the moment but hopefully that will help. I will have to check her again in the morning but for now we should leave her alone to rest.”

Lucie wanted to rush into her friend's room but she held herself back. Most of the crew were waiting in the parlor for news on Zinaida’s condition. Lucie knew she was going to have to tell them something but she needed a few moments herself before facing them.

Clara gave a her a brief pat on the shoulder as encouragement. They shared a knowing look. Neither of them believed that Zinaida would let herself be beaten by an illness. The girl would be on her feet again before they knew it. In fact, they would have more trouble keeping her in bed to rest then anything.

“She’ll get better,” Lucie told everyone confidently. “I know it.”

All the other girls brightened but Vanessa. Only she didn’t share the same confidence as she glared at the floor. For some reason she seemed unwilling to meet Lucie’s eyes no matter how hard she tried. It was concerning but she had the feeling she should not push the girl at the moment.


	21. Spiraling Downwards

Despite Lucie’s hope the her friend would recover, Zinaida”s condition only worsened. Flore did her best to treat her but nothing worked. They even brought in a doctor from the outside but he was also very mistified by her illness. As the days wore on, Lucie grew increasingly anxious.

They had been traveling around from port to port trading with merchants the way they did back home. Unfortunately, rumors of the female pirates began to spread here as well. They had the British Navy on their tails again and were chased out of every port they entered. At some point Lucie told Lupis to just to sail somewhere the navy couldn’t reach them. They had enough food and supplies to last for a while.

The crew was becoming more tense as well. Lucie did her best to keep everyone calm but with everything that was going on it was tough. If it weren’t for the help of Clara, Alec and a few others she would not have been able to do it.

“Do you have any idea where we are heading?” Clara asked Lucie one day.

Lucie shook her head, “Lupis has been quiet. Even when I ask she doesn’t say a word.”

“It’s been too quiet lately,” Clara said, referring to their enemies. Although they had not seen a hint of land for a while it felt like something was coming. The strained peace that they were enjoying for the moment could evaporate in an instant.

“I wonder how long we can keep drifting like this,” Lucie muttered. At some point they were going to run out of supplies. They would have to find someplace to dock. There must be a port somewhere that the British Navy did not have much influence over.

“Oh, look a change of scenery for once!” Clara exclaimed pointing straight ahead. The two girls had been standing on the forecastle as they watched over the battle game below. Neither one had chosen to participate this time. Instead they watched from the outside to see how their crew mates were doing in battle and to gauge the strength of their crew.

Some of them were still clumsy with their swords but many had become used to multiple attackers and were able to fend them off adequately. There were even a few that stood out. Payton often lasted to the end of fights and on many occasions was part of the winning team. Martina always defend herself well and gave no mercy when it came to beating an enemy. Zorah was usually not far behind. Alec and Kirill were also among the strongest in their crew.

At the moment Lucie was not focused on the fight below her but the the strange sight in front of the ship. On one side was a island that formed a steep cliff which went high into the clouds.

On the other side was what looked like a large whirlpool. She watched as the water swirled as if being drained by some unseen force. Then it stopped. The water still for only an instant before leaping up into the air as if being expelled from some unseen force. Luckily, the ship was still too far away to be affected by its towering waves.

“It looks odd,” Lucie said. “I wonder where we are?”

“Who knows?” Clara answered. 

The closer they came the more ominous the cliffs felt. Something inside Lucie told her that they were dangerous but from what they could see, only their height was imposing. She would be glad once they were out of sight.

The battle on the deck finished resulting in the win of the white team. They cheered victoriously as the dead picked themselves up from the deck. Lucie and Clara moved over to join them and give them advice for the next battle. The cliffs were right above them but few people looked up to admire their height.

“I didn’t last long this time,” Faith sighed. “But I guess I was on the winning team.”

“You were just unlucky to have so many attackers…” Lucie trailed off as the girls she was talking to suddenly vanished, leaving behind only small splatter of blood. 

Someone on the deck screamed. Lucie turned wildly, trying to identify what was going on. She was about to speak to Andres, who was standing near her but before she could get a word out he vanished as well. This time she was a little more prepared and managed to catch a glimpse of something lifting him away. Some sort of monster.

“Everyone, get below deck!” she called.

Kirill was the first one to the door. He ushered everyone inside before him. Lucie stood on the other side. Watching to make sure everyone entered safely. Another person disappeared and then two more. All she could do was watch in fear as her crew was helplessly being taken away. She was not nearly fast enough to cut the monster.

Lucie followed the last person running down the stairs. Partway down she looked over her shoulder to make she Kirill was following her but he was nowhere to be seen. Panicking she ran back up to try to find him.

“KIRILL!” she yelled out but her voice echoed against empty air.

“Not another one,” she wanted to scream the words but nothing came out. In desperation she ran across the deck. Remembering every life that had ended too soon. Every person who had been unfairly taken away from her not just today. She reached the poop deck and watched as the odd cliff drifted farther and farther away.

One hand was outstretched toward it as if she could grab those lives that had disappeared. As if she could grasp their souls and bring them back to her. She wanted to tell the ship to turn around so she could find whatever had taken them. She almost did but something beneath her grief knew it was impossible. The tiny shred of common sense that still remained within her.

She knew that they didn’t just disappear. For an instant she had seen it. The monster that had taken them. It was too quick for her to make out the details but she had seen it grab her crew. It must have been sitting at the top if that cliff waiting for someone to sail beneath it. Anger and despair burned in her stomach.

If only she could have saved them.

The cliff was now only a faint line. She sank to her knees, tears streamed down her face faster than she could wipe them away. Eventually, she stopped trying and watched as the tears fell to the deck before her.

Ten minutes later, her tears stopped. Shakily she stood up from the ground again and used her cloak to wipe away the last of the tears. She tried to compose herself again but she knew her face still showed traces of the fact that she was crying. Taking a deep breath she slowly walked back to her crew. 

The door was closed so when she opened it she was surprised to see her crew gathered on the stairs. Clara was standing at the top facing them as though guarding the door but she turned around when Lucie opened it.

Silently, she stood up at the top of the stairs and studied her crew. Some like her had been crying, others were still shaking with fear but most looked back at her with anger. Lucie gave out a subtle sigh. 

“Today we lost six of our friends,” she told them. “Faith, Andres, Olive, Lacey, Dahlia and Kirill. There are no words to describe how unfairly they were taken from us…” Her voice faltered but she continued on. “I wanted to be strong. I started this crew so that I could fight against my enemies and to teach others how to become strong in the same way but It seems I still have a long way to go…” She trailed off not sure what to say.

“There’s no way anyone would ever be able to defeat something like that,” Rose called bitterly. She was standing near the back of the crowd by the bottom of the stairs. “No matter how strong we become.”

Lucie opened her mouth to give an answer but she was not sure what to say. Rose spoke the truth. No matter how skilled they became with their weapons, no one would have been able to catch a monster that moved so fast. Her fragile confidence was quickly diminishing.

“You won’t know until you try,” Zorah saved her. “Wasn’t it our captain who taught us how to defeat the odds and survive this long?”

“That does not make up for the people who died,” someone else argued. “They may have still been alive if they hadn’t come.”

Lucie realized this was the first time the crew had truly voiced their thoughts. Despite her warnings of danger and death, everyone here had joined under their own free will. She never forced anyone to come along. Yet now people were finally breaking under the pressure that had been laying over the ship for weeks.

“Some of us would have already been long dead before then,” Payton argued.

“Maybe not,” another said.

More and more voices were adding to the argument. Eventually everyone was yelling to be heard over each other. It was only a matter of time before swords flashed. Then the damage would be irreversible. Lucie had no idea what she was going to say but she knew she had to stop them.

“SILENCE,” she roared above all the other voices. Lucie was usually very calm. It took a while for her to truly become angry and she rarely ever yelled. It was no surprise when everyone froze just from hearing that one simple word.

“Let us not offend our friends by fighting over their deaths,” she said, speaking the words as they came to her. “I understand your concerns but I believe I told every one of you that joining my ship may mean death. Despite that you all chose to be a part of my crew. If you no longer wish to stay I will not force you to. Take the rest of today to mourn for those we lost and to think about what you want. Tomorrow morning I want to hear your answers. If you do not wish to stay you may leave the ship at the next port we reach.

“Before we split, let me make this clear. I do not want to hear any more arguing. Everyone has their own opinions and we need to respect that. If I hear any more I will put you in the brig ans you can argue all you want there. Got it?”

There was a chorus of “ayes” from the crew but it was obvious that not everyone spoke up.

“You are all dismissed,” she said.

She descended the stairs and the crowd parted to let her through. She was overly aware that everyone was watching her but she still managed to keep her composure until she reached Zinaida’s room.

When she entered the room, Zinaida was sitting up in her cot. She had become thinner in the past few weeks and her body radiated with a fever but today it was her looking at Lucie with concern.

“It’s been a long time since I heard you yell like that,” she remarked. “What’s got you so riled up?”

“Everything,” Lucie sighed, before launching straight into an explanation. Telling her friend the whole story. She choked up for a moment while talking about the deaths but she managed to make it through. Zinaida didn’t say a word until she finished.

“The last of my family gone in an instant,” she said. Her fists were tightening around her sheets. “How’s Vanessa doing?”

“I don’t know,” Lucie shrugged a little sheepishly. “I haven’t seen her much today.”

“She must miss Kirill as well...” Zinaida started but she was cut off by a fit of coughing.

“You should rest,” Lucie told her. “I’ll be back later with dinner.”

“Alright,” her friend answered reluctantly. “But don’t beat yourself up over it. There’s no way you could have known that that would have happened.” 

She smiled agreeing with her friend but a part of her would always feel guilty for it. They were right. If some of them had not decided to follow them they would still be alive. The fact that they were dead was partially her fault but there was no telling what would happen in life. They may be dead anyway.

Only a few people were still hanging around in the parlor. Zorah was sketching in a notebook she had recently bought. Payton was just coming back up from the hold with Alaina following right behind her. Martina was helping Elizabeth check her bow and arrows, even though the weapons never seemed to wear down.

“Where did you find those necklaces,” Lucie asked both Payton and Alaina. She had just noticed them but was wondering how long the girls had been wearing them. They were simple gemstones on a leather string but they were very pretty.

“Oh,” Payton glanced down at the gem. “I found them in the hold. I didn’t think you would mind so I took one and gave the other two to Faith and Alaina.”

“That’s fine,” Lucie said. “I’m so sorry about Faith.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Alaina said.

“You have done so much for us that I’m sure she died happily,” Payton added. Lucie smiled at them gratefully.

Then she wandered over to Zorah who was still drawing. The girl was constantly drawing pictures. She only even painted a few but what she did paint she hung around the ship. The paintings were always appreciated by the crew.

Right now she was currently drawing a flower. It looked a little like a lotus but different. It was difficult to describe. The flower was hanging upside down from a thin but long stem. Three petals were in the process of falling down but only two looked like they belonged to the flower.

“That’s a very nice picture,” Lucie told her. “Are you going to paint it?”

“If you like it then maybe we can hang it in your room,” Zorah said without looking up from her sketch.

“You should hang it out here,” she advised. “That way everyone can see it.”

Zorah looked up at the walls thoughtfully. “Maybe I will.” Then she turned to face Lucie and said, “Don’t feel too bad about what happened. Everyone is just overly stressed from being out at sea all the time. What happened today just pushed them over the edge. After they have had time to calm down they will come around.”

“I hope so,” Lucie said but she was not so sure.

Martina joined in on the conversation, “Like you said, we all joined of our own free will. It would be unfair to blame you for the decision we made.”

Lucie realized they trying to cheer her up. “Thanks,” she said feeling a little embarrassed but at least she knew that there were some people here on the ship that still wanted to follow her. That feeling put her heart at ease and a little tension melted out of her shoulders.

The next morning, everyone had calmed down enough to think rationally. There was no one who truly wanted to leave the ship and secretly Lucie felt relieved. She told them all to remember their words before assigning the chores for the day. There were still a few disgruntled people but everyone dispersed without much complaint.

Two days later, Vanessa fell ill. Lucie moved her into Zinaida’s room, hoping to keep the disease from spreading. Tension rose among the crew again. Lucie knew that if they didn’t dock soon someone was going to snap. She really did not want to have to clean up the mess when they did.

That was why she told Lupis to dock as soon as they saw an island that looked inhabited. Little did she know she was going to regret that decision later.


	22. Pirates

To Lucie’s surprise, the person who was waiting for them at the dock was not a man but a woman. She was very beautiful. Her clothes and jewelry were very simple as if even she knew she didn’t need much to enhance her looks. She wore a kind expression but instinct made Lucie wary of all strangers. Even if they were female. She knew better than to underestimate a woman.

“Welcome to my island,” the woman said proudly. “I am C.C. What may I do for you today?”

Lucie was caught off guard by her friendly words. “Uh... um. Well, we only plan to stay for a few days,” she said, “but we do need to restock on supplies and some medicine. We have some sick friends on board and I was wondering if there was a doctor around that could help them.”

“May I take a look at your sick friends,” the woman asked sweetly. “I may be able to help.”

Lucie and Clara exchanged glances. They both were wary of this woman but but they were desperate to save Zinaida and Vanessa. “Follow me,” she told the woman.

She led C.C. onto the ship and into Zinaida’s room. Flore followed along, possibly hoping that she might learn something from this woman. As soon as C.C. entered the room, she began muttering to herself but Lucie only understood a few words here and there. Flore watched closely as the woman began pulling medicine and herbs out of the bag at her side.

Zinaida muttered in her sleep but she didn’t open her eyes. Vanessa was awake so C.C. went over to treat her first. The girl glared at the woman but she seemed to weak to fight or she had just resigned herself to that fact that she may not get better without the woman’s help.

Lucie stayed and carefully watched the woman the whole time, just in case she tried to hurt them. In truth, she had no idea what C.C. was doing though it seemed to be working. When she was done both girls were asleep again and their breathing had steadied for the first time in a while.

“They should recover soon,” C.C. said when she finished. “Now why don’t you and your crew come with me. My assistants will prepare a feast for you. We don’t have so many guests that often.”

Her words confused Lucie. She remembered seeing lots of boats when they docked. Maybe they were C.C.’s ships. But something bothered her about this woman. She was just not sure what it was.

 

They stayed at the island for a week. Longer than Lucie wanted to but that was how long it took for Zinaida and Vanessa to completely recover. It was also hard to leave when she saw how relaxed her crew was on the island. She could tell no one really wanted to leave but the longer she stayed the more uneasy she became. Clara and Zinaida felt the same. At the end of the week, Lucie’s suspicions were proved to be correct.

It was Zinaida who noticed first. She wanted to duel with Alec but could not find him anywhere. Lucie and Clara helped her look and it was not long before they realized all of their male companions were missing. Not knowing what else to do they confronted C.C. about the problem.

“Oh, them,” C.C. said nonchalantly when Zinaida asked her. “They’re this way.”

C.C. led the three of them over to another building. Lucie, Zinaida and Clara exchanged wary glances as they followed C.C. inside. What hit Lucie first was the smell. In opposite corner from them was a small pigpen where six pigs were running in the mud and making enough noise to wake the dead.

“They’re not here,” Zinaida pointed out. “What did you do with our friends?”

“Of course they are,” C.C. smiled and pointed to the pigpen. “I just gave them a little makeover.” 

The girls understood what the woman meant immediately. It was hard to believe that such magic existed even with all they had seen. The girls stared at the pigs in silence as they tried to wrap their head around the predicament.

“You turned them into pigs!” Zinaida’s hand was on her hilt and she drew her sword. Lucie and Clara were beside her both ready to help her friend at a moment's notice.

“Now, now,” C.C. said. “There is no need for such violence. I only did you a favor. You are such powerful girls but your brilliance only dims with them around.”

“Turn them back,” Lucie told her.

“Men are disgusting things,” C.C. told them. “I only gave these boys what they deserve. You don’t need them around anyway.”

Zinaida leapt at the woman bringing her sword to C.C.’s throat. “Turn them back or we won’t hesitate to kill you.”

“Oh but if you kill me there will be no one to save your friends,” the woman’s confidence was annoying. “Or I could just have you join them but pigs don’t quite suit you. Maybe wolves just like your ship.”

“Shut up,” Ziandia said but the woman kept talking.

“Wolves would suit you fine. Hopelessly loyal and never truly tame. You stick together like a pack and so you will fall together.” No one was really listening to her words though.

Lucie opened her mouth and said the words she never thought she would actually speak. For once, she was too angry to care. “Then we will become pirates. We will destroy your little island and kill your attendants. We will burn it to the ground. Right?” she asked her friends.

“Of course,” Zinaida said. “I’m getting pretty tired of holding back.”

Clara shrugged. “I’m not going to argue.”

Unfortunately, someone else beat them to it. Before they could make a move the door behind them swung open and three pirates walked in. The girls attention immediately shifted towards them though Zinaida still kept her sword at C.C.’s throat.

“Well, well,” the first man sneered. “It’s nice to see you again, little sister.”

Lucie’s heart stopped as she recognized the blond hair so much like Kirill’s but it was shorter. The same eyes but they did not hold the same kindness. The same face but his was filled with murderous intent. A man exactly like Kirill but not the same person.

“Sergei,” Zinaida breathed. Lucie knew that he was not as nice as his twin but she never thought that he would side against them. “Why?” she asked him. “Why are you on their side?”

“I was always on their side,” Sergei told them. “Do you really think it was coincidence that Blackbeard burned our town?”

“You led them there!” Zinaida’s anger was rising again. “Why?”

“What did I tell you?” C.C. laughed. “Men are all filthy pigs.”

“Shut up,” Zinaida told her.

Lucie was not focused on the conversation. Something was bothering her. It was like a thorn that she couldn’t pry loose. The more she tried the harder it became. She had never seen Kirill fight but something about his posture. The way his sword hung limply at his side.

“You’re going to fight me?” Sergei said. “Where would a girl like you learn how to fight?”

Suddenly a memory clicked into place. A dark alley, late at night, with a body already on the ground and a terrified girl. The man whose face was always in the shadow yet his voice was familiar. Back then Lucie had not thought that anyone would have survived the fire so she never connected the two. Now it was clear.

“He is the one who killed Zorah’s brother,” Lucie gasped and then smiled. “Funny how you still say that even after I nearly beat you back in that alley.”

“I don’t remember ever fighting you,” he glared at her.

“You should make him remember, Lucie,” Zinaida urged.

“What about you?” She thought Zinaida would have wanted to be the one to take him on.

“I’m still dealing with this hag,” she said, pressing her sword harder into C.C.’s neck.

“Fine,” Lucie sighed.

She aimed a thrust at Sergei’s throat. He dodged and tried to counter with the flat of his blade aimed at her head. His aim was to knock her out not kill her. It seemed Blackbeard still wanted her alive but it annoyed her that he was still taking her lightly. 

She took a few steps back to avoid the blade and lifted up her own to block. The two swords clanged together but the momentum of Sergei’s threw her arm back. Lucie twisted with her sword in an attempt to bring it in for another block. His blade scratched her cheek but the wound was shallow.

Beside her Clara was fighting one of the other men but she was holding a hand to her eye and blood was pooling through her fingers. Zinaida had been forced away from C.C. to defend herself. The woman was nowhere in sight. She must have left while they were distracted.

Lucie cursed as she tried again to land a hit on Sergei but she found it too difficult to concentrate. Part of her mind was on her crew. She was worried about them. In fact she had no idea what the situation was outside. And what about the ship? Was it destroyed? Most of all it bothered her that C.C. was out there. She did not like not knowing where that woman was. All these thoughts crowded her mind and she barely managed to push them away.

Just as she did back in the alley she ducked low and swiped her blade across one of his calves. Sergei twisted his blade and attempted to shove it down but she rolled out of the way. Lucie stood up just in time to block another attack. She was about to land another hit when the door swung open again.

This time a about eight or nine soldiers marched in and blocked the exit. Their muskets were all pointed in at the pirates. The hard looks on their faces told Lucie that these men would not hesitate to shoot.

“Put down your weapons,” one man shouted, “or we will open fire!”

The three girls glanced at each other. Reluctantly the let go of their swords. Sergei and his group did the same. The soldiers surrounded them and took all their weapons. They even found the girls hidden daggers and took those. After putting handcuffs on all of them they were led out of the building.

Outside was complete chaos. There were pirates and soldiers everywhere. They were chasing down girls who were either C.C.’s attendants or part of Lucie’s crew. By the looks of it the pirates and the soldiers were more or less working together. It was really hard to tell who was on what side or what the sides even were.

The soldiers marched them around the edge of the chaos. They let Sergei and his group go when they were confronted by other pirates. It seemed they didn’t care much about capturing Blackbeard’s crew. Lucie didn’t listen to the exchange. She was lost in her own thoughts on how to escape but so far she was coming up empty. Sergei gave Lucie and Zinaida one last glare before running off with his companions. The three girls had no choice but to stay where they were.

The soldiers took them down to the beach where their allies stood guard by the longboats. Some of the girls from Lucie’s crew were already captured and being transported to the ship. Her heart fell as she saw their terrified faces and she desperately wished she could save them but they were no match for the men around them.

“Is your captain here,” the soldiers leader asked their group.

Lucie hesitated before speaking, “Right here.”

“You will come with me,” he said. “The others will be put in the brig with the rest of the pirates.”

 

An hour later and Lucie was still waiting in the captain’s cabin. Only one soldier had been left to guard her but without any weapons she had no hope of escaping. Waiting was her only choice though she was getting restless from sitting in one place so long.

She was always waiting. She was never strong enough to attack from the front. Watching and waiting. They had to sneak to win. Never attack from the front. Lucie knew it wouldn’t last forever. That someday they would need to find a way to face more and more enemies.

What she didn’t realize was that the day they would be defeated would come so soon. Despair hung heavy in her heart but she hid it under a mask of indifference. She didn’t hate the soldiers who captured her. She hated the pirates who chased them tirelessly across the seas and the society who allowed such people to exist.

Above all else, she hated society.

The door opened and the leader finally entered. He sat down behind his desk and studied her. She could clearly see the disapproval in his eyes. Lucie decided she hated him as well.

The man dismissed Lucie’s guard and waited till the door closed before speaking. She hated his voice. She hated every word he spoke but she never dared to show him her emotions.

“I am Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the British Navy,” he told her.

“Lucie Clark,” she told him. “Captain of the Lupis Maris.”

“Lupis Maris,” Maynard repeated. “Funny. My men searched all over for your ship but they couldn’t find it. Where is it?”

The last Lucie had seen of the ship was when she left it this morning to help search for the boys. It was still docked at the port back then. Lupis could have chosen to abandon them. It was never easy to tell what the wolf would do in any situation.

“Did you perhaps, send some of your friends away with the ship so that they could rescue you later?” he asked but she didn’t speak, afraid that if she did her mask would break under her despair. “Even if you did there is no hope for escape. You are all headed for death and nothing will change that. Why don’t you tell me where they are? I can make death easier for them.”

“That is if you can find them,” Lucie had finally found the self control to bluff. If he believed her words than he would sail forever searching for ghosts. “I told them to run and never look back.”

“All the pirates here will die,” he told her ignoring her continued silence. The man was trying to tear away at her hope but she had none. She knew he was one who plans carefully and rarely fails to execute them properly. “Right now Blackbeard is entangled in that woman’s web. It would be a miracle if he escapes her clutches and leaves this island but I doubt he has the foresight to see who she really is.”

He stopped talking for a moment and looked at Lucie, “Do you know of Circe?” he asked.

The name seemed familiar but Lucie struggled to think straight beneath her swirling emotions. He seemed to be searching for something within her. She had an inkling that she might know what it was but she did not reveal her suspicions.

“You are sure quiet,” he said, studying her some more. “I was expecting something more from the captain whose crew was just insulting my men using words I had never heard a girls such as yourselves use. They would not shut up and here you are sitting like a fine little lady.”

At this, Lucie burst out laughing. She had no doubt about who he was talking about. Quite a few girls came to mind but she was sure it was all of them and their leader was none other than her first mate. It was funny and heartwarming at the same time.

Yet beneath that there was another realization. They all had finally snapped. Despite being apart from society they all had found it too difficult to completely cast it all away. To tear away the proper lady image that had been forced onto them. Now that they had been put into the worst situation possible they finally freed themselves of the chains still holding them down and set free their true selves. Even though it was a little late.

“We may have been defeated,” Lucie told him. “We may be broken broken. But even when we die, you will never take our hearts.”

The man smiled at her pitiful words and her ordered her out of the room. Two guards entered and took her to the brig to rejoin with her crew. She couldn’t stop smiling the whole trip there.


	23. The First Death

In some ways the trip felt like an eternity. They all tried to stay bright and cheery but the longer they sailed the harder it became. It was no secret where they all were headed. Despair had rooted itself deep in their hearts and no matter how hard they pulled it was impossible to remove.

The soldiers had not managed to capture her whole crew but most of them were in here. She had no idea whether the others were dead or stuck on C.C.’s island. She could only hope that they survived but she would never know for sure.

A month passed and the ship finally docked at port. They were lead off the boat among jeering crowds. Lucie turned her eyes to the distant horizon and pretended not to hear. She pretended not to see. Still, it felt like they hated her for just trying to live.

The girls were transported to the nearest prison. Everyone was shaking from either fear or anger. The youngest of the girls looked like they were trying to hide within themselves like turtles. Lucie desperately wished she had words to comfort them but even though she was captain she knew there was nothing she could do.

Lucie and Zinaida had not spoken much to each other since the attack. They had no words to say to each other because both already knew what the other was thinking. Together they had been in so many dangerous situation but in all of them they saw a way out. They always found the light at the end of the tunnel.

This time was different. There was no light. Even though Lucie was continuously thinking up new scenarios in her head she dismissed them quickly. There was no way to save themselves and no one who would come save them.

Sometimes she would think of her father back home. She would think about how he would always be waiting for her to return yet she will never be able to see him again. Lucie wondered how long he would wait for her.

A week passed and it was finally their last day. Lucie had woken up before everyone else. She stood near the door, watching the soldiers lazily guard the prison. It was no wonder they were so easily defeated back when she came to free her crew.

She watched as another cloaked figure came walking down the hallway. The soldier moved to stop them but they spoke to him and he retreated as if nothing happened. As the figure grew closer she recognized C.C. The woman stood before her her glaring at Lucie through the bars.

“You could have avoided this,” the woman told her.

“I could have,” Lucie echoed back.

On the journey here she thought of all the decisions she’d made. She could have given up the ship immediately and returned home so that the stories would have never started. She could have decided to become a part of Blackbeard's fleet. She could have fled to another part of the world where no one knew them. She could have chosen to accept C.C.’s offer and become another one of her attendants. No matter what she thought up it all felt like running away and none of it was her.

“I could have,” she said again, “but I didn’t.”

“Why not?” Lucie was not sure if the woman was genuinely asking her but she answered anyway.

“I wanted to be free,” she said. “Free of the chains society created. I wanted to finally be me. Even if I died in the end I wanted to die knowing that I lived the way I chose. Not the way someone else chose for me.”

C.C. laughed. “I should have known you were an idiot and you are such a powerful girl. You have not even realized what you could do. If you weren’t the one who had led those men to my island then maybe I would have set you free,” she said. 

There was a cold light in her eyes as the woman’s hand darted through the bars and grasped her necklace. Lucie tried to pry them away but they were strong. 

“Death will not be so easy,” the woman whispered, “and it will never last. Live free but constantly chased by your enemies. No matter where you run there they will be, waiting for you to be weakened. Watch out for the full moon. It often brings hope to those who cannot see in the dark but for you it will only bring despair. That will be the night where all your power will be sealed and unreachable no matter how hard you try to reach it. Now despair as death fails you time and time again.”

The woman let go of her necklace and left as quietly as she came. Lucie was confused by the woman’s words. She had no idea what they meant but decided not to tell anyone else. Though her words bothered Lucie, she didn’t want to give the girls more to think about before they died.

At about midday, the soldiers took them out of their cells and led them to their execution. Lucie squinted at the bright light outside but it only took moments for her eyes to adjust. Though she wished they never did.

They were in a large courtyard. In the middle was a platform with five nooses hanging down from it. A crowd had gathered in the courtyard, their yells drowning out the soldier who was reading out their crimes.

“Kill them!” someone yelled.

“Death to the pirates!” screamed another.

The clamors of death rose. Lucie had never seen anyone hanged and she wondered if it was always so noisy. Some of the girls before her shrank away from the noise but not everyone. Half of her crew were yelling insults back which only made the crowd roar even louder.

“Stand up straight and don’t listen to them,” she told Zinaida who had managed to line up in front of her. The girl was already doing that but the massage was meant for those further along the line. Soon all the girls were standing straight and silent.

The first group of girls were lined up in front of the noose. Soldiers tightened the ropes around their necks. They looked back at Lucie with fear but she stared back at them with courage. She was so happy to have them as part of her crew. The girls understood her message and the fear changed. They smiled as the floor fell beneath them and all life left their bodies.

Again and again she watched as her crew died. Every single time she felt a sharp pain in her heart as if someone was using it as a pincushion. Tears fell down her cheeks even though she tried to stop them. The whole time she smiled to encourage her crew even though it was painful.

No matter what she never let her eyes leave the platform before her. She never let the words of the crowd pierce her. Even though the death of her comrades that hurt so much.

She watched as Clara and Zinaida walked to their deaths. Unlike the girls before them they were already smiling. The three girls eyes connected and they all knew what they were thinking. They had tried their best and that was enough. They were free, even though it was only for a short time. They were free and they were happy.

All too soon death took them away. Their smiles disappeared and life faded from their eyes. Lucie bid them a silent farewell.

As the last one left she walked up to the podium and stood beneath the ropes. A soldier came and tightened the noose around her neck. His breath smelled rotten. Everyone here was rotten. The noose tightened and fear knotted her stomach. She tried so hard to breath. To keep up her smile even with all the hatred thrown at her.

For the first time she looked into the crowd. Into the eyes of the people who hated her. Then she glanced to the front of the crowd where sat a wolf. No one else seemed to notice her but she immediately knew who it was.

“I’m sorry, Lupis,” she said too quietly for anyone to hear. “I wanted to have more adventures with you.”

The floor beneath her disappeared and she fell through. The noose tightened around her neck choking her and effectively snapping her spine. Death was bitter but it was nice that she no longer had to struggle.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading~


End file.
